Comedian, writer, and actor Chevy Chase met instant critical success and stardom on Saturday Night Live (SNL), first coming to public attention as the anchor of the show's "Weekend Update" news spoof with his resounding "Good evening. I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not!" His mastery of the pratfall, deadpan outrage, and upper-class demeanor made him a standout from the rest of the SNL cast, and only a year later, Chase was Hollywood-bound and starring in movies that capitalized on his SNL persona. Chase appeared as a guest host of SNL in February 1978, and the show received the highest ratings in its history.

Born Cornelius Crane Chase (his paternal grandmother gave him the nickname Chevy) on October 8, 1943, in New York City, Chase earned a bachelor's degree from Bard College in 1967. He worked on a series of low-level projects, developing his talents as a comedy performer...