Chevy Chase Biography

Comedic legend Chevy Chase was actually born Cornelius Crane in 1943. For more than four decades, Chevy Chase has delighted audiences with some of comedy’s most iconic roles and films, and has contributed to the genre of film and television as actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Chevy Chase’s upbringing set the stage for his future career; his father worked as an editor and writer, his mother was a concert pianist, and his grandparents include a painter, opera singer, and illustrator.

Young Chevy was fortunate enough to be born into relative affluence, although his parents divorced when he was still very young, leading to a bit of unrest in his formative years. Although he attended the best schools in the area, Chase was expelled from the Riverdale Country School before attending Stockbridge School in Massachusetts. While attending Haverford College in the early 1960’s, Chevy established a reputation for his comedic timing and skill with physical humor, but he did not pursue studies in theater or drama; instead, he graduated with a degree in English from Bard College in 1967.

For a number of year, Chevy Chase took on a number of odd jobs until landing his first comedic gig with the ensemble Channel One. During this time he began writing for television, and by the early 1970’s, he’d joined the cast of the National Lampoon Radio Hour, which teamed him up with his future film and Saturday Night Live cast members Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi.

It was on Saturday Night Live that Chevy Chase rose to fame, joining the show’s first cast in 1975 and becoming the show’s first breakout star. Because of his success, and due to the many offers for film roles he was receiving, Chase left the show in 1976. The next few decades brought Chase to the big screen in hit after hit, including: National Lampoon’s Animal House  (1978), Foul Play (1978), Caddyshack (1980), Seems Like Old Times (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Fletch (1985), Three Amigos (1986), Nothing But Trouble (1991), and Last Action Hero (1993), to name a few.

Although Chase’s on screen presence has waned a bit in the new millennium, he is still considered among the era’s most notable comedic talents. He recently joined the cast of the television show Community (2009-2012), and he continues to make appearances in both film and television from time to time.