Chevy Chase

The Rise of a Blue-Blooded Comedian

Cornelius Crane Chase was born in New York City in 1943, surrounded by an intellectual elite that never quite fit with his physical comedy. His father was a prestigious editor and his mother a upper-class scriptwriter. Young Chevy chose to pursue comedy after working a series of temporary jobs and playing drums with a few bands.

In 1975, he was the most recognizable face of the first season of Saturday Night Live. That tall, gangly man opened every show with a spectacular pratfall, and American audiences went wild for him right away. He was the show's first major export to mainstream movies.

But he left too soon.

He spent only a year and a half on the show before jumping to Hollywood. His departure in 1976 created tensions with his colleagues that would last for decades. Bill Murray came to blows with him in the dressing rooms during a later visit to the set.

The Man Who Made Six Million Dollars per Movie

During the 1980s, his name guaranteed box office success anywhere. In 1980 he released Caddyshack, and shortly after came the role of Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation in 1983. Chase perfected the role of the clumsy yet arrogant family man who tries to keep his composure while everything falls apart around him.

His salary skyrocketed.

In 1985, he starred in Fletch, and critics began to see in him something more than a slapstick clown. The script let him show off a dry sarcasm that connected with the middle class. That film grossed more than $60 million in the United States alone and put him at the top of the industry.

The Fall from Grace in the Nineties

Everything that rises falls hard in the entertainment industry. In 1993, he tried to compete in the late-night talk show market with The Chevy Chase Show on Fox. The experiment lasted exactly five weeks before being wiped out by low ratings. The reviews were brutal, and the network canceled the slot after losing millions of dollars in advertising.

It was a reality check.

From that point on, his film appearances became erratic and uninspired. He appeared in low-budget family movies and cameos that bore no resemblance to his heyday. The phone stopped ringing as often as it had the previous decade, because his reputation as a difficult actor was an open secret.

The Bitter Return to Television

Hollywood gave him a second chance in 2009 with the series Community. He played Pierce Hawthorne, a racist, out-of-touch millionaire who had far too many similarities with his own public persona. The show was a hit with younger audiences, but the shoot became a daily battlefield.

His feuds with creator Dan Harmon made headlines in 2012. Chase left the production before the fourth season ended after using racial slurs on set. There was no friendly farewell or tribute from his castmates.

In 2024, he took part in the shoot of the movie The Christmas Letter. His name still appears in the credits of independent productions, but far from the major studios of Los Angeles. The industry prefers to quietly remember him to avoid new conflicts.

His commercial relevance died out before his ability to make controversial headlines did.