Chevy Chase has become an iconic comedian and actor, which was jumpstarted by his role on the show Saturday Night Live. He has also been very politically active in recent years, associating himself with the Democratic party.

Chevy was born as Cornelius Crane Chase in 1943. His father, Ed Chase, was a well-known book editor and also wrote for magazines. His mother, Cathalene, was the daughter of the famed WWII admiral, Miles Browning. Cornelius Crane, from the Crane plumbing family, later adopted her. His grandmother gave Cornelius the nickname of Chevy and it stuck.

Chase came from a very distinguished and wealthy New York family. His family tree includes two New York mayors and Anne Hutchinson, who now has a river named after her. After his parents divorced when Chase was four, they both quickly remarried into other prominent and wealthy families. His mother married a doctor and professor at Columbia Medical College and his father married into the Folgers coffee family.

Throughout high school and college, Chase was known as the class clown, pulling off elaborate pranks that students would talk about and remember years later. He was also an extremely bright student and was named valedictorian of his high school. In college he decided he wanted to be a doctor, and majored in pre-med.

Chase had many odd jobs throughout his college years. He played in a jazz band as the drummer, and also in a rock band. He worked as a truck driver, a cab driver, and a motorcycle messenger. He then went on to become a fruit picker, construction worker, busboy, wine salesman, and theater attendant.

In 1975, Chevy became one of the original cast members on Saturday Night Live. He also holds the record for being the tallest cast member, at six-feet, four-inches. Coming in a close second is Will Ferrell at six-foot, three-inches. Chase was a huge success and was dubbed "the funniest man in America" by New York Magazine. His role on Saturday Night Live lasted for one year and won him several Golden Globe awards and Emmys. In 1976 it was time for a change of pace, so Chase decided to pursue a career in film. Bill Murray signed on to the show to replace Chase while he pursued his new dream.

Chevy’s film career began in the mid-1970s. Some of his notable films were National Lampoon’s Vacation in 1983, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in 1989, and Three Amigos! in 1986, co-starring other SNL former cast members, Steve Martin and Martin Short. After some time off from starring in films, Chase returned to the big screen alongside Courteney Cox and Tim Allen, in the 2006 comedy, Zoom. As a father of three daughters, Chase has said that he prefers to be involved with only family oriented movies.

Chase is a well-known Democrat. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, Chase became a close personal friend of Clinton and also worked as a fundraiser during his campaigns. He also helped John Kerry campaign for presidency in 2004, again as a fundraiser. Chase has been very public of his dislike of President George W Bush and his political policy’s. He has made public comments about Bush stating, "This guy in office is an uneducated, real lying schmuck." Besides his political views, Chase is also an active environmentalist and also works as a fundraiser for several charities.

YUDDY