On October 31, 2004, Chevy Chase appeared on Tournament 4, Game 4 of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, but he already had a long history of playing high stakes poker against fellow Hollywood stars before that. For several years he has been a member of the exclusive Hollywood Gourmet Poker Club, founded by late night legend Johnny Carson, which includes the likes of Martin Short, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Barry Diller, Neil Simon, former MGM head Dan Melnick, and producer David Chasman, who gather once a month to eat and play.
Born into immense wealth, Chase spent his childhood vacations at a castle on a beautiful beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Nicknamed “Chevy” by his grandmother, his paternal grandfather was painter/teacher Frank Swift Chase; his father, Ned Chase, was an important Manhattan book editor and magazine writer. His mother was heiress to the Crane Plumbing Fixtures fortune.Initially hired as a writer on NBC’s breakthrough live skit comedy showcase Saturday Night Live in 1975, Chase was never actually signed as a performer, and only became a cast member during rehearsals before the show's premiere. Chase was instantly dubbed by the media as the star of the show, and when his one year contract expired he left in 1976 to pursue a career in film, to be replaced by Bill Murray. Chase went on to success with the wildly popular Caddyshack, Vacation, and Fletch movie series.Chase’s film credits include Snow Day (2000), Vegas Vacation (1997), Nothing But Trouble (1991), Christmas Vacation (1989), Fletch Lives (1989), Caddyshack II (1988), Funny Farm (1988), Three Amigos! (1986), Spies Like Us (1985), National lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), Fletch (1985), Deal of The Century (1983), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Modern Problems (1981), Caddyshack (1980), Heavenly Dog (1980), Foul Play (1978), Tunnel Vision (1976), and The Groove Tube (1974). His television credits include All In The Family, The Nanny, The Howard Stern Show, Primetime Glick, and the short-lived late-night Chevy Chase Show in 1993.
