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David Chase(II)

  • Producer
  • Writer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
David Chase at an event for The Sopranos (1999)
Firsthand accounts and revelations from the people who brought the groundbreaking series to life.
Play trailer2:19
Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos (2024)
279
5 Videos
21 Photos
Born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and raised in New Jersey, David Chase (born David DeCesare) dreamed of being a star drummer in a rock band! He spent many years playing drums and bass trying to be part of a successful rock band in the 1960s East Coast music scene. He also loved movies, such as The Public Enemy (1931) with James Cagney and TV shows like The Untouchables (1959) with Robert Stack. When not making music, he watched 1960s' Hollywood and foreign films avidly. After his music career ended, he got the inspiration to buy a movie camera and make his own movies. He studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and later the graduate film program at Stanford University. He began writing for network TV drama programs in the early 1970s. He eventually became a writer and producer on the classic NBC detective show The Rockford Files (1974) with James Garner. While on "Rockford", he penned many memorable episodes and pieces of dialog. He won his first Emmy in 1978, the year "Rockford" won the award for Best Dramatic Series. Many biographies incorrectly state that Chase won his first Emmy for writing the acclaimed TV movie, Off the Minnesota Strip (1980). Although it is a sensitive and well observed story about a young runaway trying to make sense of her life after being returned to her Midwestern family from a life of prostitution in New York City, Chase actually won his second Emmy (and a Writer's Guild Award) for that project. He then spent the 1980s and early 1990s getting paid for writing various TV scripts while writing feature film projects that never got produced. He also began directing his TV scripts whenever possible. He often told people stories about the troubled relationship he shared back in New Jersey with his mother. Encouraged to write about it, he found a way to combine a story about his mother with a mob story and a story about psychotherapy, which Chase had also began during this time. This intersection of ideas and themes led Chase to write the landmark pilot script to a show that the Fox network developed, then passed on shooting. HBO then decided to roll the dice with Chase on this odd mixture of mother/son conflict, mobster danger and insecurities about psychological therapy. The result: The Sopranos (1999). Everybody connected with the project thought they would film a pilot episode, it would not go to series and that would be that. It has since gone on to become one of the most successful shows to ever come out of a cable network. Chase and his crew have collected Emmy, Golden Globe, Writer's Guild and Director's Guild Awards for the show. In terms of impact and subject matter, it has been compared to The Godfather (1972). Chase vows to get his feature film projects off the ground, as soon as "The Sopranos" ends its run.
BornAugust 22, 1945
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornAugust 22, 1945
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 7 Primetime Emmys
      • 18 wins & 28 nominations total

    Photos21

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    Known for

    Lorraine Bracco, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Aida Turturro in The Sopranos (1999)
    The Sopranos
    9.2
    TV Series
    • Producer(showrunner)
    Noah Beery Jr. and James Garner in The Rockford Files (1974)
    The Rockford Files
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Producer
    Sam Waterston, John Aaron Bennett, Ashlee Levitch, Jeremy London, and Regina Taylor in I'll Fly Away (1991)
    I'll Fly Away
    8.6
    TV Series
    • Producer
    Almost Grown (1988)
    Almost Grown
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Producer

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Producer



    • Untitled Witness Protection Project
      • executive producer
      • Pre-production
      • TV Series



    • Alessandro Nivola in The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
      The Many Saints of Newark
      6.3
      • producer (produced by, p.g.a.)
      • 2021
    • John Magaro and Bella Heathcote in Not Fade Away (2012)
      Not Fade Away
      6.0
      • producer
      • 2012
    • Lorraine Bracco, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Aida Turturro in The Sopranos (1999)
      The Sopranos
      9.2
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 1999–2007
    • The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime (1996)
      The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime
      7.1
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1996
    • James Luisi in The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play (1996)
      The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play
      7.5
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1996
    • The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best (1996)
      The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1996
    • The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... (1996)
      The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...
      7.6
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1996
    • Northern Exposure (1990)
      Northern Exposure
      8.4
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 1993–1995
    • The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995)
      The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise
      7.3
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1995
    • The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. (1994)
      The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A.
      7.5
      TV Movie
      • supervising producer
      • 1994
    • Sam Waterston, John Aaron Bennett, Ashlee Levitch, Jeremy London, and Regina Taylor in I'll Fly Away (1991)
      I'll Fly Away
      8.6
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 1992–1993
    • Almost Grown (1988)
      Almost Grown
      8.3
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 1988–1989
    • Moonlight
      6.8
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1982
    • Palms Precinct
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1982
    • Off the Minnesota Strip (1980)
      Off the Minnesota Strip
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • producer
      • 1980

    Writer



    • Alessandro Nivola in The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
      The Many Saints of Newark
      6.3
      • based on characters created by
      • written by
      • 2021
    • John Magaro and Bella Heathcote in Not Fade Away (2012)
      Not Fade Away
      6.0
      • written by
      • 2012
    • Lorraine Bracco, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Aida Turturro in The Sopranos (1999)
      The Sopranos
      9.2
      TV Series
      • created by
      • written by
      • story by (creator) ...
      • 1999–2007
    • The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime (1996)
      The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime
      7.1
      TV Movie
      • written by
      • 1996
    • The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best (1996)
      The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • written by
      • 1996
    • Northern Exposure (1990)
      Northern Exposure
      8.4
      TV Series
      • story by
      • 1994
    • Sam Waterston, John Aaron Bennett, Ashlee Levitch, Jeremy London, and Regina Taylor in I'll Fly Away (1991)
      I'll Fly Away
      8.6
      TV Series
      • written by
      • 1991–1992
    • Almost Grown (1988)
      Almost Grown
      8.3
      TV Series
      • created by
      • written by
      • story by (creator)
      • 1988–1989
    • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985)
      Alfred Hitchcock Presents
      7.7
      TV Series
      • teleplay
      • 1986
    • Moonlight
      6.8
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1982
    • Palms Precinct
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1982
    • Off the Minnesota Strip (1980)
      Off the Minnesota Strip
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • written by
      • 1980
    • The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979)
      The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
      6.5
      TV Series
      • story by
      • 1980
    • Noah Beery Jr. and James Garner in The Rockford Files (1974)
      The Rockford Files
      8.2
      TV Series
      • written by
      • story by
      • teleplay by
      • 1976–1979
    • Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner in Switch (1975)
      Switch
      7.1
      TV Series
      • writer
      • teleplay
      • 1975–1976

    Additional Crew



    • Noah Beery Jr. and James Garner in The Rockford Files (1974)
      The Rockford Files
      8.2
      TV Series
      • creative consultant (uncredited)
      • 1979
    • Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner in Switch (1975)
      Switch
      7.1
      TV Series
      • story consultant
      • 1975–1976
    • Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
      Kolchak: The Night Stalker
      8.4
      TV Series
      • story consultant
      • 1974–1975

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos5

    'The Many Saints of Newark' Stars on Their Favorite Moments From "The Sopranos"
    Clip 3:39
    'The Many Saints of Newark' Stars on Their Favorite Moments From "The Sopranos"
    82
    What We Know About 'The Many Saints of Newark' So Far
    Clip 3:00
    What We Know About 'The Many Saints of Newark' So Far
    65
    What We Know About 'The Many Saints of Newark' So Far
    Clip 3:00
    What We Know About 'The Many Saints of Newark' So Far
    65
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:19
    Official Trailer
    279
    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:23
    Theatrical Trailer
    2114
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:23
    Official Trailer
    62

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • David H. Chase
    • Height
      • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
    • Born
      • August 22, 1945
      • Mount Vernon, New York, USA
    • Spouse
      • Denise KellyFebruary 1968 - present (1 child)
    • Other works
      Book: "The Sopranos Sessions by Matt Zoller Seitz, Alan Sepinwall, Laura Lippman, David Chase". ISBN: 1419734946
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Print Biography
      • 1 Portrayal
      • 7 Articles
      • 1 Pictorial

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The character of Livia Soprano is based on his own mother, Norma.
    • Quotes
      Network television is all talk. I think there should be visuals on a show, some sense of mystery to it, connections that don't add up. I think there should be dreams and music and dead air and stuff that goes nowhere. There should be, God forgive me, a little bit of poetry.
    • Nickname
      • Master Cylinder
    • Salary
      • The Sopranos
        (1999)
        $15,000,000 (Season 5)

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is David Chase?
      79 years old
    • When was David Chase born?
      August 22, 1945
    • Where was David Chase born?
      Mount Vernon, New York, USA
    • What is David Chase's birth name?
      David Henry DeCesare
    • How tall is David Chase?
      5 feet 8 inches, or 1.73 meters

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