How much is Chevy Chase worth?
| Net Worth: | $35 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | October 8, 1943 (age 79) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.92 m) |
About Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane “Chevy” Chase was born on October 8, 1943 and is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer with an estimated net worth of $35 million. Chevy Chase was born in Manhattan and grew up in Woodstock, New York, within an upper middle class family. His father a Princeton-educated editor and his mother a concert pianist, were a prominent couple in New York.
Nicknamed Chevy by his grandmother, the name came from an old English ballad, called the ‘Ballad of Chevy Chase’ and the name stuck with him into adulthood.
In his school days, Chevy was known by his classmates for being a practical joker and for having a somewhat absurd sense of humor. Allegedly, he was even expelled for bringing a cow onto the upper floors of a campus dorm during his freshman year in the early 1960s. After college, where he studied pre-med and later a B.A. in English, he tried his hand at a variety of jobs such as driving cabs and trucks, waiting tables, sales and construction to name a few. However, his interest in the world of comedy led to him to finally narrowing and concentrating his efforts allowing his to make a career of it.
His first professional comedy role was as a writer and cast member of the National Lampoon Radio Hour alongside Bill Murray and John Belushi.
He was then hired as a writer and became one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live and it was during this show that he became known for his physical comedy, making memorable slips and falls part of his skits.
Night Live really launched his career and his fame because he received two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his writing and acting on the show. He decided to leave the show during only it’s second season and break into the world of movie acting.
Chase made the move out to Los Angeles and married and started to follow his acting career. He landed big roles in movies such as Foul Play and Caddyshack.
His acting career went from strength to strength quickly, landing roles in very successful movies, such as National Lampoon’s Vacation, Fletch and Spies Like Us, in which he starred alongside Dan Aykroyd.
The move to Hollywood acting proved to be a very wise decision for Chevy. At the height of his career in the mid 80s, he was bringing in an estimated $7 million per movie. Making him one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood at the time. And given that he starred in sixteen movies in the 80s, it’s fair to say the move paid off.
Chase’s acting career did begin to slow down in the early 90s however. His movies, although widely anticipated were, by and large, not that well received. Things brightened with Man of the House in 1995, and he is still acting today.
He tried to turn his hand to being a talk-show host with The Chevy Chase Show on Fox. Unfortunately, however, ratings were low and Fox made the decision to cancel the show after five weeks.
Aside from some small TV roles, Chevy didn’t really have much of a further breakthrough on his acting career until Community in 2009. He starred in the show for four seasons.
It was Chase’s penchant for humor and his ability to deliver it in both his writing and acting that made the 70s and 80s a hugely successful period in his life. As well as winning the acclaimed Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, he was honored with a coveted star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.
He made the move to Hollywood at the right time and took on the right roles that made him a very successful and well-known comedy actor for much of the 1980s.
Summing-Up
Chevy’s career has certainly been full of its up and downs but for us the 70s and 80s were definitely his golden era.
