ACTOR
Chevy Chase
- Known for
- Fletch (1985), Vegas Vacation (1997), Nothing But Trouble (1991), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
78 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Chevy Chase is an actor best known for Fletch, Vegas Vacation and Nothing But Trouble.
All facts (78)
- #001
In an interview, Chevy Chase said that ¡Three Amigos! (1986) was the most fun film he had ever worked on.
- #002
Chevy Chase has perfect pitch: a rare ability to identify the pitch of musical notes without a reference point.
- #003
Chevy Chase was the valedictorian of his high school class.
- #004
Chevy Chase turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995) because his agent strongly advised him not to take the project. He did not want to decline it because he was interested in the project. The role went to Tim Allen.
- #005
In an interview, Chevy Chase admitted that the remarks and jokes aimed at him during his 2002 roast genuinely hurt him. As soon as the roast ended he returned to his hotel room and was so upset about it that he spent most of the night crying and had to be comforted by roast master Paul Shaffer. Chase's roast was noted by both fans and critics as being especially vicious even by roast standards.
- #006
During Weekend Update, Chevy Chase would say "toy boat" whenever he stumbled over his words.
- #007
Before his breakthrough as a comedian, Chevy Chase worked as a taxi driver, truck driver, motorcycle courier, waiter, busboy, construction worker, sound engineer, produce manager at a supermarket, salesman at a wine shop and theater usher.
- #008
The Hollywood legend Cary Grant sued Chevy Chase for libel after Chase joked in a 1980 television interview that Grant was gay, but the case was later settled out of court.
- #009
Chevy Chase turned down the role of Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters (1984), which went to Bill Murray. According to Chase, the finished film bears no resemblance to the script he read, and he adds that the script was much scarier than the film. He can be seen in a photograph taken on the temple steps in Don Shay's book "Making Ghostbusters," so he visited the set at least once.
- #010
At the peak of his career, Chevy Chase was earning about $7 million per film.
- #011
During the filming of Modern Problems (1981), Chevy Chase nearly died from electrocution when, in the sequence where he wears "landing lights" while imagining he is an airplane, the current in the lights short-circuited between his arm, back and neck muscles. The near-death experience led him to go through a period of deep depression.
- #012
Chevy Chase has earned a reputation for being extremely difficult to work with and generally controversial.
- #013
Chevy Chase's biggest break was appearing on Saturday Night Live (1975). Ironically, he was never made a cast member. He signed a one-year writing contract and joined the cast during rehearsals.
- #014
Chevy Chase prefers to make family-oriented films and turned down many roles, including the lead in American Beauty (1999).
- #015
Chevy Chase turned down the lead role in Forrest Gump (1994), which went to Tom Hanks.
- #016
Shortly after his time on "SNL," Chevy Chase underwent back surgery because of the funny falls he took on stage.
- #017
On September 23, 1993, Chevy Chase was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #018
Chevy Chase and Robin Williams were very good friends.
- #019
Chevy Chase is a big jazz fan; he plays piano, drums and saxophone.
- #020
Chevy Chase's middle name, Crane, comes from his mother's family. As a child he spent his summer holidays at Crane Castle in Ipswich, Massachusetts, his mother's family's summer home.
- #021
In 2003 Chase appeared in two television commercials for Cola Turka, a drink developed to compete directly with both Coca-Cola and Pepsi and to bring the money into the Turkish economy. In the ads, which were both comedic and nationalist in theme, Chase plays a confused American who notices his friend and family using Turkish idioms and displays Turkish customs after drinking it. Shown only in Turkey, the commercials were filmed in English in New York but carried Turkish subtitles.
- #022
Chase named Irwin Fletcher in Fletch (1985) as his favorite role, because it allowed him to play several different characters and to work with props.
- #023
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York (1967).
- #024
Chevy Chase is the name of a 16th-century ballad about the battle between Earl Douglas and Earl Percy, as well as of a town in Maryland.
- #025
A long-time class clown, he was expelled from private schools such as Dalton in New York but thrived at the Stockbridge School in Massachusetts. He was thrown out of Haverford College after bringing a cow up to the third floor of a campus building. He transferred to Bard College, where he dated the actress Blythe Danner and graduated (1967).
- #026
Chase is a member of the exclusive Hollywood Gourmet Poker Club. Its members have included the card players Martin Short, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Barry Diller, Neil Simon and the late Johnny Carson.
- #027
His brother lived across the hall from Ted Kaczynski, "the Unabomber," at Harvard University.
- #028
His parents divorced when he was four years old. His father remarried into the Folger coffee family. His mother's third marriage was to Lawrence Widdoes, a Juilliard School professor and composer.
- #029
As a child he wanted to be a doctor.
- #030
There are streets named after him in Cochranton, Pennsylvania; Brea, California; Port Charlotte, Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
- #031
He left Community (2009) because of criticism of the show's quality, his disagreements with creator Dan Harmon and his dislike of his character's bigotry.
- #032
Menu items at the fast-food chain Moe's Southwest Grill take their names from his characters in three films: ¡Three Amigos! (1986) (the famous El Guapo sauce), Caddyshack (1980) (the chicken Billy Barou nachos) and Fletch (1985) (the steak John Coctostan quesadilla).
- #033
He was unhappy with how National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) turned out.
- #034
He is descended from the famous Pilgrim William Brewster (c. 1566-1644) and from Brewster's wife Mary, who came to Massachusetts, America, as a Mayflower passenger.
- #035
His short-lived television talk show was billed as a Cornelius Production; Cornelius was Chevy's real name.
- #036
He used to run five miles a day to stay fit and healthy.
- #037
He is a recipient of the Harvard Lampoon Lifetime Achievement Award.
- #038
Chevy was in fact a childhood nickname given to him by his grandmother, probably derived from a Washington, D.C. suburb. The Chase family was wealthy and prominent, and Chevy appeared in the Social Register at an early age. His father's grandfather was the painter and teacher Edward "Ned" Leigh Chase; his father, Ned Chase, was a leading Manhattan book editor and magazine writer. His mother came from the Crane plumbing-fixture family.
- #039
In 1986, Chevy Chase entered the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of an addiction to prescription painkillers. His use of these drugs began after he suffered ongoing back pain from the falls he took during Saturday Night Live (1975) performances. In 2010, he described his drug addiction as "low level."
- #040
Chevy Chase has three daughters with his current wife, Jayni Chase: Cydney Chase (b. January 4, 1983), Caley Chase (b. January 19, 1985) and Emily Evelyn Chase (b. September 29, 1988).
- #041
Chevy Chase's daughter Caley Chase is also an actress.
- #042
Chevy Chase was roasted at the New York Friar's Club on September 28, 2002.
- #043
Chevy Chase named Oh Heavenly Dog (1980) as the worst film he has appeared in.
- #044
Chevy Chase ranked tenth in Rolling Stone Magazine's ranking of the Saturday Night Live (1975) cast.
- #045
The role of Eric 'Otter' Stratton in National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) was originally written with Chevy Chase in mind. John Landis did not want the film to be a Saturday Night Live (1975) film, so he met with Chase and convinced him not to do it by telling him it was an ensemble piece. Chase instead took a role in Foul Play (1978). Tim Matheson was cast as Otter.
- #046
Chevy Chase attended elementary school with Wallace Shawn, the star of Vegas Vacation (1997).
- #047
Chevy Chase entered the Hazelden Clinic in Minnesota in September 2016 for treatment of an alcohol-related problem.
- #048
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Harry Sultenfuss in My Girl (1991), but at the time he was known only for his acting in comedies rather than dramas, and the role went to Dan Aykroyd instead.
- #049
In Los Angeles, Chevy Chase won an amateur conducting competition in which he and other celebrities (such as Alan Rachins) competed to spark interest in classical music.
- #050
Chevy Chase has been convicted of driving under the influence.
- #051
Chevy Chase was criticized by conservatives for his 2002 trip to Cuba and for his support of Fidel Castro, whom he championed on his return by saying "Socialism works."
- #052
Fans often imitate Chevy Chase's famous, deadpan "I like it!" (from Modern Problems (1981)).
- #053
Chevy Chase turned down the role in Problem Child (1990) that went to John Ritter because of scheduling conflicts with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989).
- #054
As of May 2021, Chevy Chase had not yet starred in a film that grossed $100 million or more at the North American box office, despite the National Lampoon's Vacation films, Fletch (1985), Caddyshack (1980) and ¡Three Amigos! (1986).
- #055
Chevy Chase was considered for Tom Hanks's roles in Splash (1984) and Turner & Hooch (1989).
- #056
Chevy Chase was offered the role of Scott Calvin / Santa Claus in The Santa Clause (1994), which he had to turn down because of scheduling conflicts. The role went to Tim Allen.
- #057
Chevy Chase was considered for the lead role in Arthur (1981), which went to Dudley Moore.
- #058
Chevy Chase regretted appearing in Caddyshack II (1988) and Nothing But Trouble (1991), both of which he starred in alongside Dan Aykroyd. He said he accepted the lead in the second film because it was his friend Aykroyd's directorial debut and he wanted to support him by taking a role in it, but he was not at all happy with how the film turned out.
- #059
Chevy Chase was portrayed by John Viener in the film Gilda Radner: It's Always Something (2002).
- #060
Chevy Chase was the first choice to star in So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), which went to Mike Myers.
- #061
Chevy Chase helped John Kerry's campaign in the 2004 presidential election.
- #062
Chevy Chase was considered for the lead role in Tootsie (1982), which went to Dustin Hoffman.
- #063
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Peter Mitchell in Three Men and a Baby (1987), which went to Tom Selleck.
- #064
Chevy Chase attended the Riverdale Country School in New York City.
- #065
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Jack Butler in Mr. Mom (1983), which went to Michael Keaton.
- #066
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Alan Parrish in Jumanji (1995), which went to Robin Williams.
- #067
In his younger days, Chevy Chase was a professional club tennis player.
- #068
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), which went to Johnny Depp.
- #069
Chevy Chase appeared in a number of television commercials, including Dollar Rent-a-Car (1996), Doritos (1996), History Channel (1999), AAMI Insurance (Australia, 1999), AFLAC (2003), Cola Turka (2003), T-Mobile (2009) and Chase Manhattan Bank (2010).
- #070
Chevy Chase was considered for Bill Murray's roles in Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) and Groundhog Day (1993).
- #071
Chevy Chase was considered to star alongside Bill Murray in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989).
- #072
Chevy Chase was considered for roles in The Flintstones (1994) and The Borrowers (1997), which went to John Goodman.
- #073
Chevy Chase turned down the role of Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas in Midnight Run (1988) due to his commitments to Caddyshack II (1988) and Funny Farm (1988).
- #074
Chevy Chase turned down the role of Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks (1992), which went to Emilio Estevez.
- #075
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Wayne Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), which went to Rick Moranis.
- #076
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Stan Podolak in Space Jam (1996), which went to Wayne Knight.
- #077
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Dan Gallagher in Fatal Attraction (1987), which went to Michael Douglas.
- #078
Chevy Chase was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman (1989).
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