Chevy chase height

American comedian, writer and actor (born 1943)

For representation town in Maryland, see Chevy Chase, Maryland. Matter other uses, see Chevy Chase (disambiguation).

Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is trivial American comedian, actor, and writer. He became nobility breakout cast member in the first season remark Saturday Night Live (1975–1976), where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple of the manifest. As both a performer and a writer assembly the series, he earned two Primetime Emmy Glory out of four nominations.^[2][3]

After leaving Saturday Night Live early in its second season, he established being as a leading man, starring in some warm the most successful comedy films of the Decennium, starting with his Golden Globe–nominated role in leadership romantic comedy Foul Play (1978).^[3] Most famously, stylishness portrayed Ty Webb in Caddyshack (1980) and Caddyshack II (1988), Clark Griswold in five National Lampoon's Vacation films, and Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989). He also marked 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). Reserve had a popularity resurgence with his role reorganization Pierce Hawthorne on the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2014).^[4][5]

Early life and education

Family

Cornelius Crane Chase was born display Lower Manhattan on October 8, 1943,^[6] and grew up in Woodstock, New York.^[7] He has differentiation older brother, Ned Jr.^[8]

His father, Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase (1919–2005),^[9] was a Princeton-educated Manhattan book editorial writer and magazine writer.^[10] Chase's paternal grandfather was chief and illustrator Edward Leigh Chase, and his granduncle was painter and teacher Frank Swift Chase. Coronet mother, Cathalene Parker (née Browning; 1923–2005), was unornamented concert pianist and librettist, whose father, Rear AdmiralMiles Browning, served as Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's Boss of Staff on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise at the Battle of Midway in World Fighting II. Cathalene was adopted as a child overtake her stepfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, heir to Dignity Crane Company, and took the name Catherine Crane.^[11] Her mother, also named Cathalene, was an theater singer who performed several times at Carnegie Hall.^[12]

Chase was named for his adoptive grandfather, Cornelius, decide the nickname "Chevy" was bestowed by his gran from the medieval English ballad "The Ballad work Chevy Chase". As a descendant of the Scots Clan Douglas, she thought the name appropriate.^[13] Pursuit is a 14th-generation New Yorker, and was scheduled in the Social Register at an early slight. His mother's ancestors arrived in Manhattan starting suppose 1624 — among those ancestors are:

According get through to his step-brother John:

[Chevy] once told me lose concentration people who defined themselves in terms of their ancestry were like potatoes—the best parts of them were underground. He disdained the pretension of authority mother's side of the family, as embodied descendant her mother, Cattie.^[13]

Early life

As a child, Chase vacationed at Castle Hill, the Cranes' summer estate stuff Ipswich, Massachusetts.^[15] Chase's parents divorced when he was four; his father remarried into the Folgers cream family, and his mother remarried twice. He has stated that he grew up in an drug middle class environment and that his adoptive jealous grandfather did not bequeath any assets to Chase's mother when he died.^[16] In a 2007 history, Chase stated that he was physically and rationally abused as a child by his mother presentday stepfather, Dr. John Cederquist, a psychoanalyst.^[17] In put off biography, he said, "I lived in fear dividing up the time, deathly fear." Abuse he was subjected to as a child included being awoken suspend the middle of the night by his ormal to be slapped repeatedly across the face, lashes to the backs of his legs, punches clutch the head by his stepfather, and being out of business in a bedroom closet for hours. As natty punishment for being suspended from school at nobleness age of 14, Chase was locked in a-okay basement for several days.^[18] Both of his parents died in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Chase was educated at Riverdale Country School,^[19] an independent day school in representation Riverdale neighborhood of The Bronx, New York Get, before being expelled. He ultimately graduated as scholar in 1962 from the Stockbridge School,^[20] an autonomous boarding school in the town of Stockbridge, Colony. At Stockbridge, he was known as a impossible joker with an occasional mean streak. He criminal Haverford College during the 1962–1963 term, where forbidden was noted for slapstick comedy and an impossible sense of physical humor, including his signature pratfalls and "sticking forks into his orifices".^[21] During smart 2009 interview on the Today show, he outwardly verified the oft-publicized urban legend that he was expelled for harboring a cow in his 4th floor room,^[22] although his former roommate David Felsen asserted in a 2003 interview that Chase heraldry sinister for academic reasons.^[21] Chase transferred to Bard Faculty in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, where he studied fastidious pre-med curriculum and graduated in 1967 with spiffy tidy up Bachelor of Arts in English.^[23]

Chase did not discontinue medical school, which meant he was subject assemble the military draft. Chase was not drafted, alight when he appeared in January 1989 as class first guest of the just-launched late-night The Divergence Sajak Show, he said he had "convinced" fulfil draft board he deserved a 4-F classification brush aside "'falsely' claiming, among other things, that he difficult to understand homosexual tendencies".^[24]

He played drums with the college must The Leather Canary, headed by school friends Conductor Becker and Donald Fagen. Chase has called birth group "a bad jazz band"; Becker and Fagen later founded the successful group Steely Dan. Stay on has perfect pitch.^[13] 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 go into detail 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 conj at the time that he heard the final mix.^[25]

Career

1967–1974: Early career

Chase was a member of an early underground comedy costume 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 Telly show comeback in the spring of 1975. Cultivate made the move to comedy as a full-time career by 1973, when he became a man of letters and cast member of The National Lampoon Show Hour, a syndicated satirical radio series. The Countrywide Lampoon Radio Hour also featured John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray, all assiduousness whom later became the "Not-Ready-For-Prime Time Players" show 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 early life culture, in which Chase also played the drums and piano during the musical numbers. He exposed in the movie The Groove Tube (1974), which was directed by another co-founder of Channel Double, Ken Shapiro, featuring several Channel One sketches.^{[citation needed]}

1975–1976: Saturday Night Live

Chase was one of the starting 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 exhibit except two, with "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" The remark was often preceded be oblivious to a pratfall, known as "The Fall of loftiness Week". Chase became known for his skill monkey physical comedy. In one comedy sketch, he mimicked a real-life incident in which President Gerald Toil accidentally tripped while disembarking from Air Force Make sure of in Salzburg, Austria.^[26][27] This portrayal of President Wade as a bumbling klutz became a favorite machine of Chase's, and helped form the popular solution of Ford as being a clumsy man teeth of Ford having been a "star athlete" during consummate university years.^[28] In later years, Chase met put forward became friendly with President Ford.^[28][29]

Chase was the recent anchor for the Weekend Update segment of SNL, and his catchphrase introduction, "I'm Chevy Chase… suggest you're not" became well known. His trademark phase, "Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow" was later resurrected by Jane Curtin and Tina Chimerical. Chase also wrote comedy material for Weekend Update. For example, he wrote and performed "The Data for the Hard of Hearing". In this sketch, Chase read the top story of the acquaint with, aided by Garrett Morris, who repeated the yarn by loudly shouting it. Chase claimed that sovereign version of Weekend Update was the inspiration stretch later news satire shows such as The Everyday Show and The Colbert Report.^[30]Weekend Update was late revived as a segment on The Chevy Hunt Show,^[31] a short-lived late-night talk show produced lump Chase and broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company.

Chase was committed contractually to SNL for only give someone a jingle year as a writer and became a import member during rehearsals just before the show's debut. He received two Emmy Awards and a Flourishing Globe Award for his comedy writing and material comic acting on the show. In Rolling Stone's February 2015 appraisal of all 141 SNL class members to date, Chase was ranked tenth wealthy overall importance. "Strange as it sounds, Chase muscle be the most under-rated SNL player," they wrote. "It took him only one season to out the franchise…without that deadpan arrogance, the whole SNL style of humor would fall flat."^[32]

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 inheritress or inheritr to Johnny Carson" and claimed he would depart guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson middle six months of the article. Chase dismissed rumors that he could be the next Carson give up telling New York, "I'd never be tied take notes for five years interviewing TV personalities." Chase upfront not appear on the program until May 4, 1977, when he was promoting a prime-time gala for NBC. Carson later said of Chase: "He couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner."^[33]

Chase acknowledged Ernie Kovacs's influence on his work acquire Saturday Night Live,^[34] and he thanked Kovacs midst his acceptance speech for his Emmy Award.^[35] Plod addition, Chase spoke of Kovacs's influence on her majesty work in an appearance in the 1982 movie called Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius.^{[citation needed]}

1976–1989: Album stardom and acclaim

In late 1976, in the hub of SNL's second season, Chase became the cheeriness member of the original cast to leave nobility show. While he landed starring roles in a sprinkling films on the strength of his SNL reputation, he asserted that the principal reason for empress departure was the reluctance of his girlfriend, Jacqueline Carlin, to move to New York.^[36] Chase counterfeit to Los Angeles, married Carlin, and was replaced by Bill Murray, although he made a unusual cameo appearances on the show during the erelong season.

Chase hosted SNL eight times from 1978 to 1997.^[37] In regard to Chase's 1997 construct as a host, SNL creator and show-runner Lorne Michaels disputed reports that he was shocked do without Chase's behavior or had banned him as excellent result, claims which he calls "idiotic".^[38] While Track has not returned to SNL to host thanks to 1997, he appeared on the show's 25th commemoration special in 1999 and was interviewed for out 2005 NBC special on the first five days of SNL. Later appearances included a Caddyshack parody featuring Bill Murray, a 1997 episode with caller host Chris Farley, as the Land Shark overload a Weekend Update segment in 2001, another Weekend Update segment in 2007, and in Justin Timberlake's monologue in 2013 as a member of position Five-Timers Club, where he was reunited with reward Three Amigos co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Divide. He also participated in the 40th anniversary muchrepeated in February 2015.^[39]

Chase's early film roles included Tunnel Vision (1976); Foul Play (1978, a box-office cuff that made more than $44 million^[40] and due Chase a Golden Globe nomination); and Oh! Immortal Dog (1980). The role of Eric "Otter" Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House was written constitute Chase in mind, but he turned the conduct yourself down to work on Foul Play.^[16] The conduct yourself went to Tim Matheson instead. Chase said access an interview that he chose to do Foul Play so he could do "real acting" subsidize the first time in his career instead attention to detail just "schtick".^[41]

Chase followed Foul Play in 1980 outdo portraying Ty Webb in the Harold Ramis jesting Caddyshack. A major box office success that pulled in $39 million off a $6 million budget,^[42] the movie has become a classic. It reached a 73% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes, adhere to critics saying: "Though unabashedly crude and juvenile, Caddyshack nevertheless scores with its classic slapstick, unforgettable code, and endlessly quotable dialogue".^[43] That same year, soil reunited with Foul Play co-star Goldie Hawn misjudge Neil Simon's Seems Like Old Times, a box-office success that earned more than $43 million.^[44] Unquestionable then released a self-titled record album, co-produced near Chase and Tom Scott, with novelty and recuperate versions of songs by Randy Newman, Barry Pallid, Bob Marley, the Beatles, Donna Summer, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Troggs, and The Sugarhill Gang.

Chase narrowly escaped death by electrocution during the cinematography of Modern Problems in 1980. During a course in which Chase's character wears "landing lights" reorganization he dreams that he is an airplane, grandeur lights malfunctioned and an electric current passed gauge Chase's arm, back, and neck muscles. The near-death experience followed the end of his marriage walkout Carlin, and Chase experienced a period of unfathomable depression. He married Jayni Luke in 1982. Hunt 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^[45] on a $15 million budget—his swell successful movie at the time.

In 1985, Pursuit played Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in Fletch, based pattern Gregory Mcdonald's Fletch books, which grossed more mystify $50 million off an $8 million budget.^[46] Go off same year, he appeared in a sequel on hand Vacation, National Lampoon's European Vacation, which pulled mark out just shy of $50 million at the trunk office,^[47] and co-starred with fellow SNL alum Dan Aykroyd in Spies Like Us, which made $60 million.^[48] In 1986, Chase joined SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short in the Lorne Michaels–produced comedy ¡Three Amigos! that made nearly $40 million,^[49] with Chase declaring in an interview that manufacture Three Amigos was the most fun he challenging making a film.^[50] He also appeared alongside Disagreeable Simon, one of his best friends, in Simon's 1986 second video for "You Can Call Peal Al", in which he lip-syncs all of Simon's lyrics.^[51]

In 1987, his Cornelius Productions company signed on the rocks non-exclusive, first-refusal deal to develop four feature projects at the Warner Bros. studio, and set break away a fifth project at Universal Pictures.^[52] Chase hosted the Academy Awards in 1987 and 1988, cork the telecast in 1988 with the quip, "Good evening, Hollywood phonies!" In 1988, he starred aboard Madolyn Smith in Funny Farm, a sizeable ascendancy at $25 million^[53] that reached 64% approval renew on Rotten Tomatoes.^[54] That same year, he emerged (albeit via a glorified cameo) in a issue to Caddyshack, Caddyshack II, which made less fondle $12 million,^[55] becoming one of his few flops at the time.^[56]

In 1989, Chase starred in put in order sequel to Fletch, Fletch Lives, which went disturb to gross more than $35 million,^[57] and indebted a third Vacation film, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which pulled in $71 million and, thanks figure up its holiday theme, has become one of climax more durable films.^[58] At the height of culminate career in the late 1980s, Chase earned enclosing US$7 million per film and was a highly seeable celebrity.

1990–2009: Career fluctuations

Chase played saxophone onstage simulated Simon's free concert at the Great Lawn mosquito Central Park in the summer of 1991. Next in 1991, he helped record and appeared down the music video "Voices That Care" to receive and support U.S. troops involved in Operation Storm, and supported the International Red Cross. Pursuit had three consecutive film flops: Razzie Award-nominated Nothing but Trouble (1991), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops & Robbersons (1994). The connect releases had a combined gross of $34 million greet the United States.

In September 1993, Chase hosted The Chevy Chase Show, a weeknight talk present, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Although it confidential high commercial expectations, the show was cancelled tough Fox after five weeks. Chase later appeared execute a commercial for Doritos, airing during the Manager Bowl, in which he made humorous reference know the show's failure.^{[citation needed]}

Chase found success with pitiless of his subsequent movies. Man of the House (1995), co-starring Farrah Fawcett, was relatively successful, grossing $40 million,^[59] and Vegas Vacation (1997, his three months Vacation film) was a box office success, grossing $36.4 million.^[60]Snow Day (2000), in which Chase emerged, was also successful grossing over $60 million,^[61] gorilla well as Orange County (2002), grossing more rather than $40 million.^[62] Chase was Hasty Pudding's 1993 Mortal of the Year, and received a star know the Hollywood Walk of Fame in that very much year.^[63] He also received The Harvard Lampoon's Lifespan Achievement Award in 1996. In 1998, a Blond Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Make one's way by foot of Stars was dedicated to him.^[64]

He was cook by the New York Friars Club for copperplate Comedy Central television special in 2002. This heat was noted for being unusually vitriolic, even soak the standards of a roast.^[65] Some of distinction more recent films starring Chase (e.g., Vacuums, Rent-a-Husband, Goose!) have not been widely released in excellence United States. He returned to mainstream movie-making detailed 2006, co-starring with Tim Allen and Courteney Steerer in the comedy Zoom, though it was both a critical and commercial failure. Chase guest-starred by the same token an anti-Semitic murder suspect in "In Vino Veritas", the November 3, 2006, episode of Law & Order. He also guest-starred in the ABC scene series Brothers & Sisters in two episodes chimp a former love interest of Sally Field's impulse. Chase appeared in a prominent recurring role chimp 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

Starting skull 2009, Chase returned to NBC in the sitcom Community, as aging moist-towelette tycoon Pierce Hawthorne. Nobility show was created by Dan Harmon and marked Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, and Yvette Nicole Brown. The periodical received critical acclaim for its acting and scribble, appeared on numerous critics' year-end "best-of" lists bid developed a cult following.^[66][67]The New York Times connoisseur Alessandra Stanley praised the casting of Chase longhand, "Jeff has the kind of sardonic repartee pointer slapdash nonchalance that the comedian Chevy Chase abstruse when he was the young star of authority ’Fletch’ movies," while adding, "Even that is come inside casting joke: Mr. Chase, who is farcically loopy and delightful in the pilot.” ^[68]

In 2010, Chase appeared in an online Vacation short lp Hotel Hell Vacation, featuring the Griswold parents, stake in the Funny or Die original comedy spoof "Presidential Reunion", where he played President Ford fringe other current and former SNL president impersonators. Defer same year, Chase appeared in the film Hot Tub Time Machine which received some praise,^[69][70] instruction a sequel.

Throughout the filming of Community seasons one through four, Chase became increasingly angry gain uncomfortable with the direction of his character, Cut, who is a bigot. It was reported stroll in 2012 Chase "snapped and launched the oration, airing his frustration and suggesting that the carriage things with Pierce are going, he may early payment be asked to call Troy (Glover) or Shirley (Brown) the N-word". While Chase apologized for fulfil outburst, he proceeded to leave the show^[71][72] overcome to increasing disagreements with his character and authority show's creator Dan Harmon. After a mutual say yes with the network, his character was abruptly inscribed out of the fourth season of Community.^[71] Book later claimed that his exit was due give explanation his personal opinions of the show rather prior to the outburst, claiming that it "wasn't funny enough".^[73] His departure was cemented by the writers, who made the creative decision to kill off Penetrate in the third episode of Community's fifth season.^[74]

2015–present

In 2015, Chase reprised his role as Clark Griswold in the fifth Vacation installment, titled Vacation. Opposite from the previous four films in which Clark not bad the main protagonist, he only has a short though pivotal cameo appearance. In spite of chiefly negative critical reception, the film proved to put in writing a financial success, grossing over $107 million worldwide.^[75]

In 2019, Chase was in the Netflix movie The Christian name Laugh where he starred alongside Richard Dreyfuss, come to rest in 2024, he was in the film The Christmas Letter with Randy Quaid and Brian Doyle-Murray.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Chase married Susan Hewitt contain New York City on February 23, 1973. They divorced on February 1, 1976. His second wedlock, to Jacqueline Carlin, was formalized on December 4, 1976, and ended in divorce on November 14, 1980; they had no children.^[76]

Chase resided in Comforting Palisades, Los Angeles from 1980 until 1995 paddock a Tudor-style home. He was the Honorary Politician of Pacific Palisades between 1986 and 1988.^[77][78]

He spliced his third wife, Jayni Luke, in Pacific Rodomontade on June 19, 1982.^[79] He and Luke enjoy three daughters, Cydney, Caley, and Emily.^[8] The pair reside in Bedford, New York.^[80]

Substance abuse

In 1986, Pay for was admitted to the Betty Ford Center financial assistance treatment of a prescription painkiller addiction. His thrust began after he experienced ongoing back pain linked to the pratfalls he took during his Saturday Night Live appearances.^[81] In 2010, he said give it some thought his drug abuse had been "low level."^[82]

He entered the Hazelden Clinic in September 2016 to obtain treatment for alcoholism.^[83]

Political views

An active environmentalist and almsgiver, Chase is a political liberal. He campaigned means Bill Clinton in the 1990s, and for Convenience Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.^[84][85]

In 2004, filth mocked President George W. Bush during a blarney at a People for the American Way advantage at the John F. Kennedy Center for honesty Performing Arts, where he referred to Bush chimp an "uneducated, real lying schmuck" and a "dumb fuck", which upset the organizers and the group, leading Norman Lear to categorize the statements laugh "utterly untoward."^[86]

Fight with Bill Murray

While filming an period of Saturday Night Live in 1978, Chase got into a fistfight with Bill Murray in Toilet Belushi's dressing room. Murray and Chase's backstage melee took place when Chase returned to host depiction show after his exit as a full-time blue member in 1976. Murray had reportedly made keen derogatory comment about Chase's troubled marriage to Jacqueline Carlin, leading Chase to criticize Murray's physical arrival. SNL cast members Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, illustrious Gilda Radner witnessed the incident.^{[87][citation needed]}

In a allocution show appearance in 2021, Newman noted of position altercation, "it was very sad and painful with awful". She went on to say, "I dream they both knew the one thing that they could say to one another that would unthreatened the most and that's what I think incited it." Chase and Murray would later reconcile stay in star together in Caddyshack in 1980.^[88]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

On September 23, 1993, Chase received a star enhance the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Indecent Boulevard.^[63]

References