Chevy Chase
Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox comedian
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (Template:IPAc-en; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of Saturday Night Live (1975–1976), where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple of the show. As both a performer and a writer on the series, he earned two Primetime Emmy Awards out of four nominations.
After leaving Saturday Night Live early in its second season, he established himself as a leading man, starring in some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s, starting with his Golden Globe–nominated role in the romantic comedy Foul Play (1978). Most famously, he portrayed Ty Webb in Caddyshack (1980) and Caddyshack II (1988), Clark Griswold in five National Lampoon's Vacation films (1983–2015), and Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989). He also starred in Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980), Modern Problems (1981), Spies Like Us (1985) and ¡Three Amigos! (1986).
He has hosted the Academy Awards twice (1987 and 1988) and briefly had his own late-night talk show, The Chevy Chase Show (1993). Chase had a popularity resurgence with his role as Pierce Hawthorne on the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2014).
Early life and education
[edit]Family
[edit]Cornelius Crane Chase was born in Lower Manhattan on October 8, 1943,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and grew up in Woodstock, New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has an older brother, Ned Jr.<ref name=sober/>
His father, Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase (1919–2005),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was a Princeton-educated Manhattan book editor and magazine writer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chase's paternal grandfather was artist and illustrator Edward Leigh Chase, and his great-uncle was painter and teacher Frank Swift Chase. His mother, Cathalene Parker (née Browning; 1923–2005), was a concert pianist and librettist, whose father, Rear Admiral Miles Browning, served as Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's Chief of Staff on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise at the Battle of Midway in World War II. Cathalene was adopted as a child by her stepfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, heir to The Crane Company, and took the name Catherine Crane.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her mother, also named Cathalene, was an opera singer who performed several times at Carnegie Hall.<ref name="BurginHoltz2009">Template:Cite book</ref>
Chase was named for his adoptive grandfather, Cornelius, while the nickname "Chevy" was bestowed by his grandmother from the medieval English ballad "The Ballad of Chevy Chase". As a descendant of the Scottish Clan Douglas, she thought the name appropriate.<ref name="I'm Chevy Chase...and You're Not">Fruchter, Rena. I'm Chevy Chase...and You're Not. Virgin Books, 2007.</ref>
According to his step-brother John:
Early life
[edit]As a child, Chase vacationed at Castle Hill, the Cranes' summer estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts.<ref name="LLC1993">Template:Cite book</ref> Chase's parents divorced when he was four; his father remarried into the Folgers coffee family, and his mother remarried twice. He has stated that he grew up in an upper middle class environment and that his adoptive maternal grandfather did not bequeath any assets to Chase's mother when he died.<ref name="stern918">Chase, Chevy, interview on Howard Stern Show, Sirius Satellite Radio, September 18, 2008.</ref> In a 2007 biography, Chase stated that he was physically and psychologically abused as a child by his mother and stepfather, Dr. John Cederquist, a psychoanalyst.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In that biography, he said, "I lived in fear all the time, deathly fear." Abuse he was subjected to as a child included being awoken in the middle of the night by his mother to be slapped repeatedly across the face, lashes to the backs of his legs, punches to the head by his stepfather, and being locked in a bedroom closet for hours. As a punishment for being suspended from school at the age of 14, Chase was locked in a basement for several days.<ref>Fruchter, Rena. I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not. London: Virgin Books Ltd., 2007, p. 11.</ref> Both of his parents died in 2005.<ref name="Walk of Fame" />
Chase was educated at Riverdale Country School,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> an independent day school in the Riverdale neighborhood of The Bronx, New York City, before being expelled. He ultimately graduated as valedictorian in 1962 from the Stockbridge School,<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> an independent boarding school in the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. At Stockbridge, he was known as a practical joker with an occasional mean streak. He attended Haverford College during the 1962–1963 term, where he was noted for slapstick comedy and an absurd sense of physical humor, including his signature pratfalls and "sticking forks into his orifices".<ref name="biconews.com">Rudolph, Stephanie. Template:Cite web</ref> During a 2009 interview on the Today show, he ostensibly verified the oft-publicized urban legend that he was expelled for harboring a cow in his fourth floor room,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although his former roommate David Felsen asserted in a 2003 interview that Chase left for academic reasons.<ref name="biconews.com" /> Chase transferred to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, where he studied a pre-med curriculum and graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chase did not enter medical school, which meant he was subject to the military draft. Chase was not drafted, and when he appeared in January 1989 as the first guest of the just-launched late-night The Pat Sajak Show, he said he had tricked his draft board into believing he deserved a 4-F classification by falsely claiming that he had "homosexual tendencies".<ref>Late-Night Chitchat Additions: Pat Sajak and Arsenio Hall Template:Webarchive, a January 11, 1989, review from The New York Times</ref>
He played drums and keyboards for a rock band called Chamaeleon Church, which recorded one album for MGM Records before disbanding in 1969. To give the album a more soft-rock sound, producer Alan Lorber made several alterations in the mixing, including the muting of Chase's bass drum, and Chase was reportedly incensed when he heard the final mix.<ref>Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers Template:Webarchive. London: Borderline Books. See entry on Chamaeleon Church.</ref>
Career
[edit]1967–1974: Early career
[edit]Chase was a member of an early underground comedy ensemble called Channel One, which he co-founded in 1967. He also wrote a one-page spoof of Mission: Impossible for Mad magazine in 1970 and was a writer for the short-lived Smothers Brothers TV show comeback in the spring of 1975. Chase made the move to comedy as a full-time career by 1973, when he became a writer and cast member of The National Lampoon Radio Hour, a syndicated satirical radio series. The National Lampoon Radio Hour also featured John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray, all of whom later became the "Not-Ready-For-Prime Time Players" on NBC Saturday Night (later re-titled NBC's Saturday Night and finally Saturday Night Live). Chase and Belushi also appeared in National Lampoon's off-Broadway revue Lemmings, a sketch and musical send-up of popular youth culture, in which Chase also played the drums and piano during the musical numbers. He appeared in the movie The Groove Tube (1974), which was directed by another co-founder of Channel One, Ken Shapiro, featuring several Channel One sketches.Template:Citation needed
1975–1976: Saturday Night Live
[edit]
Chase was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live (SNL), NBC's late-night comedy television show, beginning in October 1975. During the first season, he introduced every show except two, with "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" The remark was often preceded by a pratfall, known as "The Fall of the Week". Chase became known for his skill at physical comedy. In one comedy sketch, he mimicked a real-life incident in which President Gerald Ford accidentally tripped while disembarking from Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This portrayal of President Ford as a bumbling klutz became a favorite device of Chase's, and helped form the popular concept of Ford as being a clumsy man despite Ford having been a "star athlete" during his university years.<ref name=today /> In later years, Chase met and became friendly with President Ford.<ref name=today>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chase was the original anchor for the Weekend Update segment of SNL, and his catchphrase introduction, "I'm Chevy Chase… and you're not" became well known. His trademark conclusion, "Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow" was later resurrected by Jane Curtin and Tina Fey. Chase also wrote comedy material for Weekend Update. For example, he wrote and performed "The News for the Hard of Hearing". In this skit, Chase read the top story of the day, aided by Garrett Morris, who repeated the story by loudly shouting it. Chase claimed that his version of Weekend Update was the inspiration for later news satire shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Weekend Update was later revived as a segment on The Chevy Chase Show,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a short-lived late-night talk show produced by Chase and broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company.
Chase was committed contractually to SNL for only one year as a writer and became a cast member during rehearsals just before the show's premiere. He received two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his comedy writing and live comic acting on the show. In Rolling StoneTemplate:'s February 2015 appraisal of all 141 SNL cast members to date, Chase was ranked tenth in overall importance. "Strange as it sounds, Chase might be the most under-rated SNL player," they wrote. "It took him only one season to define the franchise…without that deadpan arrogance, the whole SNL style of humor would fall flat."<ref>Rolling Stone, issue 1229, February 26, 2015, p. 32.</ref>
In a 1975 New York magazine cover story, which called him "The funniest man in America", NBC executives referred to Chase as "The first real potential successor to Johnny Carson" and claimed he would begin guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson within six months of the article. Chase dismissed rumors that he could be the next Carson by telling New York, "I'd never be tied down for five years interviewing TV personalities." Chase did not appear on the program until May 4, 1977, when he was promoting a prime-time special for NBC. Carson later said of Chase: "He couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chase acknowledged Ernie Kovacs's influence on his work in Saturday Night Live,<ref>Chevy Chase, "The Unique Comedy of Ernie Kovacs", TV Guide, April 9, 1977, p. 39–40.</ref> and he thanked Kovacs during his acceptance speech for his Emmy Award.<ref>Hofer, Stephen F.(2006). TV Guide: the official collector's guide, Bangzoom Publishers.</ref> In addition, Chase spoke of Kovacs's influence on his work in an appearance in the 1982 documentary called Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius.Template:Cn
1976–1989: Film stardom and acclaim
[edit]
In late 1976, in the middle of SNL's second season, Chase became the first member of the original cast to leave the show. While he landed starring roles in several films on the strength of his SNL fame, he asserted that the principal reason for his departure was the reluctance of his girlfriend, Jacqueline Carlin, to move to New York.<ref name="snl20050220">Template:Cite episode</ref> Chase moved to Los Angeles, married Carlin, and was replaced by Bill Murray, although he made a few cameo appearances on the show during the second season.
Chase hosted SNL eight times from 1978 to 1997.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In regard to Chase's 1997 appearance as a host, SNL creator and show-runner Lorne Michaels disputed reports that he was shocked by Chase's behavior or had banned him as a result, claims which he calls "idiotic".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While Chase has not returned to SNL to host since 1997, he appeared on the show's 25th anniversary special in 1999 and was interviewed for a 2005 NBC special on the first five years of SNL. Later appearances included a Caddyshack skit featuring Bill Murray, a 1997 episode with guest host Chris Farley, as the Land Shark in a Weekend Update segment in 2001, another Weekend Update segment in 2007, and in Justin Timberlake's monologue in 2013 as a member of the Five-Timers Club, where he was reunited with his Three Amigos co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. He also participated in the 40th anniversary special in February 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chase's early film roles included Tunnel Vision (1976); Foul Play (1978, a box-office hit that made more than $44 million<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and earned Chase a Golden Globe nomination); and Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980). The role of Eric "Otter" Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House was written with Chase in mind, but he turned the role down to work on Foul Play.<ref name="stern918" /> The role went to Tim Matheson instead. Chase said in an interview that he chose to do Foul Play so he could do "real acting" for the first time in his career instead of just "schtick".<ref name="Live From New York">Shales, Tom. Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Back Bay Books, 2003.</ref>
Chase followed Foul Play in 1980 by portraying Ty Webb in the Harold Ramis comedy Caddyshack. A major box office success that pulled in $39 million off a $6 million budget,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the movie has become a classic. It reached a 73% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics saying: "Though unabashedly crude and juvenile, Caddyshack nevertheless scores with its classic slapstick, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable dialogue".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year, he reunited with Foul Play co-star Goldie Hawn for Neil Simon's Seems Like Old Times, a box-office success that earned more than $43 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then released a self-titled record album, co-produced by Chase and Tom Scott, with novelty and cover versions of songs by Randy Newman, Barry White, Bob Marley, the Beatles, Donna Summer, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Troggs, and The Sugarhill Gang.
Chase narrowly escaped death by electrocution during the filming of Modern Problems in 1980. During a sequence in which Chase's character wears "landing lights" as he dreams that he is an airplane, the lights malfunctioned and an electric current passed through Chase's arm, back, and neck muscles. The near-death experience followed the end of his marriage to Carlin, and Chase experienced a period of deep depression. He married Jayni Luke in 1982. Chase continued his film career by playing Clark Griswold in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation. Directed by Ramis and written by John Hughes, the movie grossed $61 million<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> on a $15 million budget—his most successful movie at the time.
In 1985, Chase played Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in Fletch, based on Gregory Mcdonald's Fletch books, which grossed more than $50 million off an $8 million budget.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year, he appeared in a sequel to Vacation, National Lampoon's European Vacation, which pulled in just shy of $50 million at the box office,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and co-starred with fellow SNL alum Dan Aykroyd in Spies Like Us, which made $60 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1986, Chase joined SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short in the Lorne Michaels–produced comedy ¡Three Amigos! that made nearly $40 million,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Chase declaring in an interview that making Three Amigos was the most fun he had making a film.<ref name="Fierman">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He also appeared alongside Paul Simon, one of his best friends, in Simon's 1986 second video for "You Can Call Me Al", in which he lip-syncs all of Simon's lyrics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1987, his Cornelius Productions company signed a non-exclusive, first-refusal deal to develop four feature projects at the Warner Bros. studio, and set up a fifth project at Universal Pictures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chase hosted the Academy Awards in 1987 and 1988, opening the telecast in 1988 with the quip, "Good evening, Hollywood phonies!" In 1988, he starred alongside Madolyn Smith in Funny Farm, a sizeable hit at $25 million<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that reached 64% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year, he appeared (albeit via a glorified cameo) in a sequel to Caddyshack, Caddyshack II, which made less than $12 million,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> becoming one of his few flops at the time.<ref name="SI">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 1989, Chase starred in a sequel to Fletch, Fletch Lives, which went on to gross more than $35 million,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and made a third Vacation film, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which pulled in $71 million and, thanks to its holiday theme, has become one of his more durable films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the height of his career in the late 1980s, Chase earned around US$7 million per film and was a highly visible celebrity.
1990–2009: Career fluctuations
[edit]Chase played saxophone onstage at Simon's free concert at the Great Lawn in Central Park in the summer of 1991. Later in 1991, he helped record and appeared in the music video "Voices That Care" to entertain and support U.S. troops involved in Operation Desert Storm, and supported the International Red Cross. Chase had three consecutive film flops: Razzie Award-nominated Nothing but Trouble (1991), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops & Robbersons (1994). The three releases had a combined gross of $34 million in the United States.
In September 1993, Chase hosted The Chevy Chase Show, a weeknight talk show, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Although it had high commercial expectations, the show was cancelled by Fox after five weeks. Chase later appeared in a commercial for Doritos, airing during the Super Bowl, in which he made humorous reference to the show's failure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chase found success with some of his subsequent movies. Man of the House (1995), co-starring Farrah Fawcett, was relatively successful, grossing $40 million,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Vegas Vacation (1997, his fourth Vacation film) was a box office success, grossing $36.4 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Snow Day (2000), in which Chase appeared, was also successful grossing over $60 million,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as Orange County (2002), grossing more than $40 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chase was Hasty Pudding's 1993 Man of the Year, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in that same year.<ref name="Walk of Fame">Template:Cite web</ref> He also received The Harvard LampoonTemplate:'s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He was roasted by the New York Friars Club for a Comedy Central television special in 2002. This roast was noted for being unusually vitriolic, even by the standards of a roast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some of the more recent films starring Chase (e.g., Vacuums, Rent-a-Husband, Goose!) have not been widely released in the United States. He returned to mainstream movie-making in 2006, co-starring with Tim Allen and Courteney Cox in the comedy Zoom, though it was both a critical and commercial failure. Chase guest-starred as an anti-Semitic murder suspect in "In Vino Veritas", the November 3, 2006, episode of Law & Order. He also guest-starred in the ABC drama series Brothers & Sisters in two episodes as a former love interest of Sally Field's character. Chase appeared in a prominent recurring role as villainous software magnate Ted Roark on the NBC spy-comedy Chuck. In 2009, Chase and Dan Aykroyd voiced themselves in the Family Guy episode "Spies Reminiscent of Us".
2009–2014: Return to television
[edit]Starting in 2009, Chase returned to NBC in the sitcom Community, as aging moist-towelette tycoon Pierce Hawthorne. The show was created by Dan Harmon and starred Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, and Yvette Nicole Brown. The series received critical acclaim for its acting and writing, appeared on numerous critics' year-end "best-of" lists and developed a cult following.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley praised the casting of Chase writing, "Jeff has the kind of sardonic repartee and slapdash nonchalance that the comedian Chevy Chase had when he was the young star of the Fletch movies", while adding, "Even that is an inside casting joke: Mr. Chase, who is farcically loopy and delightful in the pilot."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2010, Chase appeared in an online Vacation short film Hotel Hell Vacation, featuring the Griswold parents, and in the Funny or Die original comedy sketch "Presidential Reunion", where he played President Ford alongside other current and former SNL president impersonators. That same year, Chase appeared in the film Hot Tub Time Machine which received some praise,<ref name="thr">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=RottenTomatoes>Template:Cite web</ref> and a sequel.
Throughout the filming of Community, Chase became increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of Pierce's character arc. It was reported that in 2012 Chase had an outburst on set yelling if it continued he may be asked to call either Donald Glover or Yvette Nicole Brown's character the N-word. Chase later apologized for the outburst.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref> While Chase apologized for his outburst, he proceeded to leave the show<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> due to increasing disagreements with his character and the show's creator Dan Harmon. After a mutual agreement with the network, his character was abruptly written out of the fourth season of Community.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Chase later claimed that his exit was due to his personal opinions of the show rather than the outburst, claiming that it "wasn't funny enough".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> His departure was cemented by the writers, who killed off Pierce in the third episode of Community's fifth season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2015–present
[edit]In 2015, Chase reprised his role as Clark Griswold in the fifth Vacation installment, titled Vacation. Unlike the previous four films in which Clark is the main protagonist, he only has a brief though pivotal cameo appearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In spite of largely negative critical reception,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the film proved to be a financial success, grossing over $107 million worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2019, Chase was in the Netflix movie The Last Laugh where he starred alongside Richard Dreyfuss.
In 2024, he was in the film The Christmas Letter with Randy Quaid and Brian Doyle-Murray.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
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Marriage and family
[edit]Chase married Susan Hewitt in New York City on February 23, 1973. They divorced on February 1, 1976. His second marriage, to Jacqueline Carlin, was formalized on December 4, 1976, and ended in divorce on November 14, 1980; they had no children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chase resided in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles from 1980 until 1995 in a Tudor-style home. He was the Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades between 1986 and 1988.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He married his third wife, Jayni Luke, in Pacific Palisades on June 19, 1982.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He and Luke have three daughters, Cydney, Caley, and Emily.<ref name=sober>Template:Cite news</ref> The couple reside in Bedford, New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Substance abuse
[edit]In 1986, Chase was admitted to the Betty Ford Center for treatment of a prescription painkiller addiction. His use began after he experienced ongoing back pain related to the pratfalls he took during his Saturday Night Live appearances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010, he said that his drug abuse had been "low level."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He entered the Hazelden Clinic in September 2016 to receive treatment for alcoholism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political views
[edit]An active environmentalist and philanthropist, Chase is a political liberal. He campaigned for Democratic presidential nominees Bill Clinton in the 1990s, and John Kerry in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2004, during a speech at a People for the American Way benefit at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts he mocked Republican President George W. Bush, Kerry's opponent in the 2004 election, referring to Bush as an "uneducated, real lying schmuck" and a "dumb fuck". His comments upset both the organizers and the crowd.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Fight with Bill Murray
[edit]While filming an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1978, Chase got into a fistfight with Bill Murray in John Belushi's dressing room. Murray and Chase's backstage brawl took place when Chase returned to host the show after his exit as a full-time cast member in 1976. Murray had reportedly made a derogatory comment about Chase's troubled marriage to Jacqueline Carlin, leading Chase to criticize Murray's physical appearance. The fight was witnessed by cast members Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In a talk show appearance in 2021, Newman noted of the altercation, "it was very sad and painful and awful". She went on to say, "I think they both knew the one thing that they could say to one another that would hurt the most and that's what I think incited it." Chase and Murray would later reconcile to star together in Caddyshack in 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Walk... Don't Walk | Pedestrian | Short film |
| 1974 | The Groove Tube | The Fingers/Geritan/Four Leaf Clover | |
| 1976 | Tunnel Vision | Himself | |
| 1978 | Foul Play | Tony Carlson | |
| 1980 | Oh! Heavenly Dog | Browning | |
| Caddyshack | Ty Webb | ||
| Seems Like Old Times | Nicholas Gardenia | ||
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | Bruce Thorpe | |
| Modern Problems | Max Fiedler | ||
| 1983 | National Lampoon's Vacation | Clark Griswold | |
| Deal of the Century | Eddie Muntz | ||
| 1985 | Fletch | Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher | |
| National Lampoon's European Vacation | Clark Griswold | ||
| Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | Newscaster | Cameo | |
| Spies Like Us | Emmett Fitz-Hume | ||
| 1986 | ¡Three Amigos! | Dusty Bottoms | |
| 1988 | The Couch Trip | Condom Father | Cameo |
| Funny Farm | Andy Farmer | ||
| Caddyshack II | Ty Webb | ||
| 1989 | Fletch Lives | Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher | |
| National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | Clark "Sparky" Griswold | ||
| 1991 | Nothing but Trouble | Chris Thorne | |
| L.A. Story | Carlo Christopher | Cameo | |
| 1992 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | Nick Halloway | |
| Hero | Deke | Uncredited | |
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | Himself | Cameo |
| 1994 | A Century of Cinema | Documentary | |
| Cops & Robbersons | Norman Robberson | ||
| 1995 | Man of the House | Jack Sturgess | |
| 1997 | Vegas Vacation | Clark Griswold | |
| 1998 | Dirty Work | Dr. Farthing | |
| 2000 | Snow Day | Tom Brandston | |
| Pete's Pizza | Narrator | Voice; Short film | |
| The One Armed Bandit | Cop | Short film | |
| 2002 | Orange County | Principal Harbert | |
| 2003 | Vacuums | Mr. Punch | |
| Bitter Jester | Himself | Darren Watkins | |
| 2004 | Our Italian Husband | Paul Parmesan | |
| Bad Meat | Congressman Bernard P. Greely | Direct-to-DVD | |
| 2005 | Ellie Parker | Dennis Swartzbaum | |
| 2006 | Funny Money | Henry Perkins | |
| Doogal | Train | Voice | |
| Goose on the Loose | Congreve Maddox | Direct-to-DVD | |
| Zoom | Dr. Grant | ||
| 2007 | Cutlass | Stan | Short film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2009 | Stay Cool | Principal Marshall | |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | Antipode | ||
| 2010 | Hot Tub Time Machine | Repairman | |
| Hotel Hell Vacation | Clark Griswold | Short film | |
| 2011 | Not Another Not Another Movie | Max Storm | |
| 2013 | Before I Sleep | Gravedigger | |
| 2014 | Lovesick | Lester | |
| Shelby | Grandpa Geoffrey | Direct-to-DVD | |
| 2015 | Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | Repairman | |
| Vacation | Clark Griswold | ||
| 2017 | The Last Movie Star | Sonny | |
| Hedgehogs | ThinkMan | Voice; Direct-to-DVD | |
| 2019 | The Last Laugh | Al Hart | |
| 2020 | The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee | Chevy | |
| 2021 | Panda vs. Aliens | King Karoth | Voice; Direct-to-DVD |
| 2023 | Zombie Town | Mezmarian | |
| Glisten and the Merry Mission | Santa Claus | Voice | |
| 2024 | The Christmas Letter | Norm De Plume |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Smothers Brothers Show | Writer | |
| 1975–2025 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters / Himself (host) | 39 episodes; also writer; 8 episodes |
| 1977 | The Chevy Chase Show | Himself | Television special; also writer |
| The Paul Simon Special | |||
| 1979 | The Chevy Chase National Humor Test | ||
| 1987 | 59th Academy Awards | Himself (co-host) | Television special |
| 1988 | 60th Academy Awards | Himself (host) | |
| Untitled Dan Aykroyd Project | Adin A. Oss | Pilot | |
| 1990 | The Earth Day Special | Vic's Buddy | Television special |
| 1993 | The Chevy Chase Show | Himself (host) | 25 episodes; also writer and producer |
| 1995 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "Roseanne's Return" |
| 1997 | The Nanny | Episode: "A Decent Proposal" | |
| 2002 | America's Most Terrible Things | Andy Potts | Pilot |
| 2003 | Freedom: A History of US | Various characters | 5 episodes |
| 2004 | The Karate Dog | Cho-Cho | Voice; Television film |
| 2006 | The Secret Policeman's Ball | General Nuisance | Television special |
| Law & Order | Mitch Carroll | Episode: "In Vino Veritas" | |
| 2007, 2009 | Family Guy | Clark Griswold / Himself (voices) | Episodes: "Blue Harvest" "Spies Reminiscent of Us" |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | Stan Harris | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Hjälp! | Dan Carter | 8 episodes |
| Chuck | Ted Roark | 3 episodes | |
| 2009–2014 | Community | Pierce Hawthorne | 83 episodes |
| 2014 | Hot in Cleveland | Ross | Episode: "People Feeding People" |
| Wishin' and Hopin' | Adult Felix (voice) | Television film | |
| 2015 | Chevy | Chase | Pilot |
| 2016 | A Christmas in Vermont | Preston Bullock | Television film |
Awards and nominations
[edit]In 1976, he was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Awards for "Writing for a Variety Series" as part of The Smothers Brothers Show's writers room.Template:Citation needed Also in 1976 he was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the first season of Saturday Night Live. He won both nominations.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
On September 23, 1993, Chase received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref name="Walk of Fame" />
| Award | YearTemplate:Efn | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writers Guild of America Awards | 1976 | Writing for a Variety Series | The Smothers Brothers Show | Template:Nom | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1976 | Individual Performance in a Variety Program | Saturday Night Live | Template:Won | <ref name=":1" /> |
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Template:Won | ||||
| 1977 | Individual Performance in a Variety Program | Template:Nom | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Template:Nom | ||||
| 1978 | Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special | The Paul Simon Special | Template:Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | 1978 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Foul Play | Template:Nom | <ref name="Goldenglobes.com">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| New Star of the Year | Template:N/a | Template:Nom | |||
| Saturn Awards | 1992 | Best Actor | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | Template:Nom | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- I'm Chevy Chase...and You're Not (The Authorized Biography) by Rena Fruchter. Virgin Books, 2007. Template:ISBN.
- Who's Who in Comedy by Ronald L. Smith. Pp. 102–103. New York: Facts on File, 1992. Template:ISBN.
- Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller. Back Bay Books.
External links
[edit]- Pages with broken file links
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