Cornelius Crane Chase was born October 8th, 1943 in New York, New York. Chase was the son of a plumbing-company heiress. He was nicknamed "Chevy" by his grandmother, after the wealthy Maryland community of the same name. Chase attended Bard College and graduated with a BA in English. After graduation he worked at various jobs including a truck driver, bartender and tennis pro before seeking work as a comedy writer. Throughout his twenties he wrote for the Smothers Brothers, National Lampoon, and Mad magazine.
His performing career began with the New York based comedy video workshop, "Channel One" which evolved into the 1974 feature film "Groove Tube." Chase's quick wit and flippant stage presence impressed producer Lorne Michaels into hiring him for the first season of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in 1975. Chevy and the new comedy show became an instant hit. Chase's spectacular slapstick falls, satirical "Weekend Update" news report, and impression of President Gerald Ford made him a star on the show. He left Saturday Night Live after only one season to pursue a movie career.
His success on the big screen has had its ups and downs to say the least. He appeared opposite Goldie Hawn in the 1980 hit "Seems Like Old Times." The same year produced another victory for Chase. It was in the "Caddyshack" with fellow Saturday Night Live alumni Bill Murray. Unfortunately for every huge hit like "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) and "Fletch" (1985) there were major bombs like "Nothing But Trouble (1991) and "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992). His highly publicized return to TV as host of a late-night talk show for Fox resulted in one of the 1993's biggest flops. It was canceled less than two months after its debut.
Hollywood took its toll on Chase and he turned to drugs and alcohol, which in turn led to divorce. His personal and professional life seemed bright again after a stint in rehab and he married Jayni Luke. The couple has three daughters.
Chase is living proof that comedy is a really difficult career path. He has developed a chronic back condition as a result of his frequent pratfalls for the camera. Though I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Chevy in one of his typical roles that will bring us to our knees in laughter.
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