Name: Chevy Chase
Birth Name: Cornelius Crane Chase
Birthdate: Oct. 10, 1943
Birthplace: Woodstock, N.Y.
1-MINUTE RESUME FOR CHEVY CHASE
A class clown prankster whiz, Chevy Chase was valedictorian of his high
school class and pre-med in college. He turned to showbiz when producer
Lorne Michaels hired him as a writer for the skit show
Saturday Night Live
in 1976. He was one of the show's original members, known for his
Weekend Update anchorman bit and Gerald Ford send-ups. After only a
year, he left the show to pursue movies after and became a major comedy
movie star in the 1980s with films like
Caddyshack (1980),
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983),
Fletch (1985) and
Christmas Vacation
(1989). The '90s saw a downturn in his career with several movie flops
and a disastrous talk show often referred to as "the Edsel of
Television." His career never really recovered.
5 Things:
1. He earned a reputation for his ego and was the first of the original SNL
cast members to leave; at a 2002 event honoring the actor, most of his
co-stars from that time no-showed; in 1997, he was banned from ever
hosting the show again after allegedly verbally abusing the other cast
members.
2. He was electrocuted and knocked unconscious on the set of Modern Problems.
3. He said he got "screwed" by director Kevin Smith, who once wanted to do another Fletch movie but later dropped the project without telling Chase.
4. He has likened himself to his character in Fletch and says he's nothing like Clark Griswold in the Vacation movies.
5. He is an avid political activist and environmentalist and was one of the first to buy a hybrid car.
Quote:
On
SNL: "We
started out as something new, making topical comments every week. But I
noticed after I left that the jokes and types of sketches being written
began to be about the show and the people on the show. Winning Emmys
seemed to make everyone self-important."
—
Rolling Stone, Oct. 1983
Family:
Wives: Jaynie Luke, married Mar. 16, 1982; Jacqueline Carlin, married Dec. 4, 1976; divorced 1980
Daughters: (with Jaynie Luke) Cydney Cathalene, Caley Leigh (born Jan. 4, 1983) and Emily Evelyn
Awards:
1979: Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture Acting Debut (Male), Foul Play; Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture Actor (Musical/Comedy), Foul Play
FILMS
Doogal - (2006) - Voice
Funny Money - (2006) - Actor
Ellie Parker - (2005) - Actor
Goose! - (2005) - Actor
Our Italian Husband - (2005) - Actor
Orange County - (2002) - Actor
Saturday Night Live - Presidential Bash 2000 - (2001) - Actor
Saturday Night Live - 25 Years of Laughs - (1999) - Actor
Snow Day - (1999) - Actor
Dirty Work - (1998) - Actor
Vegas Vacation - (1997) - Actor
Spy Hard - (1996) - Actor
Man of the House - (1995) - Actor
Cops & Robbersons - (1994) - Actor
Memoirs of an Invisible Man - (1992) - Actor
Saturday Night Live - Presidential Bash - (1992) - Actor
Hero - (1992) - Actor
L.A. Story - (1991) - Cameo
Nothing but Trouble - (1991) - Actor
Fletch Lives - (1989) - Actor
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - (1989) - Actor
Caddyshack 2 - (1988) - Actor
Funny Farm - (1988) - Actor
Will Rogers - Look Back in Laughter - (1987) - Actor
Three Amigos - (1986) - Actor
Fletch - (1985) - Actor
National Lampoon's European Vacation - (1985) - Actor
Sesame Street - Follow That Bird - (1985) - Actor
Spies Like Us - (1985) - Actor
Deal of the Century - (1983) - Actor
National Lampoon's Vacation - (1983) - Actor
Modern Problems - (1981) - Actor
Under the Rainbow - (1981) - Actor
Caddyshack - (1980) - Actor
Oh! Heavenly Dog - (1980) - Actor
Seems Like Old Times - (1980) - Actor
Foul Play - (1978) - Actor
Tunnelvision - (1976) - Actor
The Groove Tube - (1974) - Actor
