David Henry Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and produced the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

drama ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'' which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. Chase has also produced and written for such shows as ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

'', ''

I'll Fly Away "I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled ''Wonderful Message''.Richard Matteson, Jr.''The Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book'' Mel Bay Publications, 2006 ...

'', and ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...

''. He created the original series '' Almost Grown'' which aired for 10 episodes in 1988 and 1989. He has won seven

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s. Chase's film debut came in 2012 with '' Not Fade Away'', followed by '' The Many Saints of Newark'' (2021), a prequel film to the TV series ''The Sopranos''.

Early life and education

Chase was born into a working-class

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

family in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...

, the only child of Henry and Norma Chase. His paternal grandmother had changed the family name from "DeCesare" to "Chase". His father owned a hardware store. He grew up in a small garden apartment in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

, and in

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...

. He grew up watching matinée crime films and was well known as a creative storyteller.David Chase: Creator
, HBO.com, accessed May 6, 2007. He has stated that he had many problems with his parents when he was a child. He says that his father was an angry man who belittled him constantly, and his mother was a "passive-aggressive drama queen" and a "nervous woman who dominated any situation she was in by being so needy and always on the verge of hysteria." A character he created for ''The Sopranos'', Livia Soprano, is based on his mother. Chase struggled with panic attacks and

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

as a teenager, something he dealt with into adulthood. He graduated from high school in 1964 and attended Wake Forest University in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, where his depression worsened. "I slept 18 hours a day," he has stated. He described his problems as "normal, nagging, clinical depression." He also worked as a drummer during this period and aspired to be a professional musician. After two years, he transferred to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

where he chose to pursue a career in film—a decision that was not well received by his parents. He went on to attend

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

's School of Film, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1971.

Career

Chase started in Hollywood as a

story editor Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". In live action television, a story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits scripts, pitches stories, and reports ...

for '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' and then produced episodes of ''

'' and ''

'', among other series. He also worked as a writer of 19 episodes while on ''The Rockford Files''—a show which he worked on in various capacities for more than four years. He won several Emmy awards, including one for a television movie, ''Off the Minnesota Strip'', the story of a

runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

he scripted in 1980. His first original created series was '' Almost Grown'' in 1988, with

Eve Gordon } Eve Gordon (also known as Eve Bennett-Gordon) is an American actress. Her television roles include playing Marilyn Monroe in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries ''A Woman Named Jackie'', Congressional aide Jordan Miller in the short-lived sit ...

and

Timothy Daly Timothy is a masculine name. It comes from the Greek name ( Timόtheos) meaning "honouring God", "in God's honour", or "honoured by God". Timothy (and its variations) is a common name in several countries. People Given name * Timothy (given name) ...

. Although the one-hour series was well received by critics, only 10 episodes aired from November 1988 to February 1989.

''The Sopranos''

Chase worked in relative anonymity before ''

'' debuted. The story of ''The Sopranos'' was initially conceived as a feature film about "a mobster in therapy having problems with his mother". Chase got some input from his manager Lloyd Braun and decided to adapt it into a television series. He signed a development deal in 1995 with production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script. He drew heavily from his personal life and his experiences growing up in New Jersey, and has stated that he tried to apply his own "family dynamic to mobsters". For instance, the tumultuous relationship between series protagonist Tony Soprano and his mother

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

is partially based on Chase's relationship with his own mother. He was also in psychotherapy at the time and modeled the character of

Jennifer Melfi Jennifer Melfi is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is the psychiatrist of Mafia boss Tony Soprano. She is portrayed by Lorraine Bracco. Character description Melfi is an Italian-American, with her father's family ...

after his own psychiatrist. Chase had been fascinated by organized crime and the mafia from an early age, witnessing such people growing up. He also was raised on classic gangster films such as ''

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...

'' and the crime series '' The Untouchables''. The series is partly inspired by the Richard Boiardo family, a prominent New Jersey organized crime family when Chase was growing up, and partly on New Jersey's

DeCavalcante family The DeCavalcante crime family, also known as the North Jersey Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia organized crime family that operates mainly in northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark, West New York, and various other North Jersey ...

. He has mentioned American playwrights Arthur Miller and

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

as influences on the show's writing, and Italian director

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

as an important influence on the show's cinematic style. The series was named after high school friends of his. Chase and producer Brad Grey pitched ''The Sopranos'' to several networks;

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

showed interest but passed on it after Chase presented them the pilot script. They eventually pitched the show to

Chris Albrecht Chris Albrecht (born July 24, 1952) is an American media executive. He is the head of television at Legendary Entertainment and was previously chief executive officer and President of Starz. Albrecht was also the former chairman and CEO of HBO. H ...

, president of HBO Original Programming, who decided to finance a pilot episode which was shot in 1997. Chase directed it himself. They finished the pilot and showed it to HBO executives, but the show was put on hold for several months. During this time, Chase, who had long experienced frustration at being unable to break out of TV and into film, considered asking HBO for additional funding to shoot 45 more minutes of footage and release ''The Sopranos'' as a feature film. In December 1997, HBO decided to produce the series and ordered 12 more episodes for a 13-episode season. The show premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999, with the pilot, ''The Sopranos''. In 2022, David Chase and Phil Abrham created the 2022 Super Bowl spot for Commonwealth / McCann. Thirty episodes of ''The Sopranos'' are explicitly credited to Chase; however, as the show's creator,

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

, and

head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...

, he had a major role in all the scripts, including producing and touching up each script's final draft. He also directed the pilot episode and the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

(both of which he also wrote). Of the controversial final scene of the series finale, Chase said, "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there."

''Not Fade Away''

'' Not Fade Away'' (2012), Chase's feature film debut, was released on December 21, 2012. It centers on the lead singer of a teenage rock 'n' roll band (played by John Magaro) in 1960s New Jersey. * Described as "a music-driven coming-of-age story," the film reunites Chase with James Gandolfini (former star of ''Sopranos''), who co-stars as Magaro's father. Other cast members include Bella Heathcote,

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

Molly Price Molly, Mollie or mollies may refer to: Animals * ''Poecilia'', a genus of fishes ** ''Poecilia sphenops'', a fish species * A female mule (horse–donkey hybrid) People * Molly (name) or Mollie, a female given name, including a list of persons ...

, Lisa Lampanelli,

Jack Huston Jack Alexander Huston (born 7 December 1982) is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series '' Boardwalk Empire''. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film '' American Hustle'', portrayed the eponym ...

and Brad Garrett. Chase himself has described the film as about "a post-war, post-Depression-era parent who has given his kid every advantage that he didn't have growing up, but now can't help feeling jealous of the liberated, more adventurous destiny his son is able to enjoy." Another former ''Sopranos'' cast member, Steven Van Zandt, served as music supervisor and executive producer.

''The Many Saints of Newark''

Although Chase was "against

he movie He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

for a long time", ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

'' reported in March 2018 that

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

had purchased the script for '' The Many Saints of Newark'', a prequel to ''The Sopranos'' written by Chase and fellow screenwriter

Lawrence Konner Lawrence Konner is an American screenwriter, producer and film director. Konner has written over twenty-five feature films, including ''Mona Lisa Smile'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''The Legend of Billie Jean'', ''The Jewel of the Nile'', and '' ...

. Chase said of the storyline, which centers on the

1967 Newark riots The 1967 Newark riots were an episode of violent, armed conflict in the streets of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Taking place over a four-day period (between July 12 and July 17, 1967), the Newark riots resulted in at least 26 deaths and ...

and racial tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities, "I was interested in Newark and life in Newark at that time... I used to go down there every Saturday night for dinner with my grandparents. But the thing that interested me most was Tony's boyhood. I was interested in exploring that." Chase served as producer, and in July 2018, Alan Taylor, who previously directed episodes of the series, was hired to direct the film. The film was initially scheduled to be released on September 25, 2020, however, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, its release date was rescheduled to March 12, 2021 and later September 24, 2021 before ultimately being released on October 1, 2021. More recently, he and his Chase Films production company struck a deal with WarnerMedia.

Unrealized projects

''A Ribbon of Dreams''

Chase has previously developed ''A Ribbon of Dreams'', a

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

for HBO. According to an HBO press release, the series' pilot would "begin in 1913 and follow two men, one a college-educated mechanical engineer, the other a cowboy with a violent past, who form an unlikely producing partnership and together become pioneers and then powers for a time in motion pictures." Specifically, the two men would "begin as employees of

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

, and then cross career paths with

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. He w ...

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

and others who gave shape to Hollywood as it grew from the age of rough-hewn silent Westerns, to the golden era of talkies and the studio system, to the auteur movement, to television, and finally to the present day." In 2021, Chase revealed that HBO agreed to proceed with the production of the miniseries but with "a cheesy budget", to which Chase refused to agree. Therefore, Chase and HBO parted ways on the project and ''A Ribbon of Dreams'' fell through.

Personal life

After graduating from NYU in 1968, Chase moved to California and married his high school sweetheart Denise Kelly. He is the father of actress Michele DeCesare, who appeared in six ''The Sopranos'' episodes as

Hunter Scangarelo This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game ''The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.'' Main characters Cast table Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...

. Chase has stated that he "loathed and despised" television shows, watching only ''The Sopranos'' and movies. However, he has said in recent interviews that he watches ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

'' and '' Mad Men'', the work of former ''Sopranos'' writers and producers Terence Winter and Matthew Weiner, respectively. He said that he made those negative comments in part because he had been frustrated working within the confines of 1990s network television.

Select filmography

Television

Film

Other credits

Awards and recognition

*1978

Winner, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1979

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1980

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *1980

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1980

Winner, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special (''Off The Minnesota Strip'') *1992

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *1992

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1992

Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "Pilot") *1993

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *1993

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1994

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1999

Winner, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *1999

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *1999

Winner, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

") *1999

Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

") *1999

Nomination, Outstanding Directing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

") *2000

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2001

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *2001

Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

Funhouse A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...

") *2001

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2001

Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

Amour Fou "Amour Fou" is the 38th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the 12th of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Frank Renzulli from a story idea by series creator, David Chase. It was directed by Tim Van Patten a ...

") *2002

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *2003

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2003

Winner, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – " Whitecaps") *2004

Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (''

'') *2004

Winner, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2006

Nomination, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2007

Winner, Outstanding Drama Series (''

'') *2007

Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – "

Kennedy and Heidi "Kennedy and Heidi" is the 83rd episode of the HBO television series ''The Sopranos'', the sixth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, and the 18th episode of the season overall. Written by Matthew Weiner and series creator and sho ...

") *2007

Winner, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (''

'' – " Made in America") *2008

Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement The Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement is an honorary award presented by the Writers Guild of America for the greatest achievement in television writing. Along with the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, it is one of two lifetime a ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, David 1945 births Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters American television directors Television producers from New York (state) American television writers Living people New York University alumni American writers of Italian descent People from Clifton, New Jersey Writers from Mount Vernon, New York People from North Caldwell, New Jersey Primetime Emmy Award winners Showrunners Directors Guild of America Award winners Stanford University alumni American male television writers Film directors from New Jersey Film directors from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from New Jersey Film producers from New Jersey Television producers from New Jersey American film directors of Italian descent