Known for movies
The Sopranos (1999-2007)
as Producer
The Rockford Files (1976-1979)
as Producer
Not Fade Away (2012)
as Producer
Grave of the Vampire (1972)
as Writer
Short Info
| Net Worth | $ 80 million |
| Date Of Birth | August 22, 1945 |
| Spouse | Denise Kelly |
| Fact | Based Tony Soprano's experience in psychotherapy for depression and anxiety on his own. |
| Payments | Earned $15,000,000 (Season 5) from The Sopranos (1999) |
David Chase was born on August 22, 1945, in Mount Vernon, New York. His father, Edward Tinsley Chase, was a successful advertising executive, and his mother, Norma (née Epstein), was a homemaker. Chase has two sisters, Joanne and Doreen. He was raised in a Jewish household and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
Chase began his television career working as a writer and story editor on the soap opera “The Edge of Night” (1956-1975). He later wrote for the sitcoms “The Rockford Files” (1974-1980) and “Taxi” (1978-1982). In 1987, he created the critically acclaimed television series “The Sopranos.” The show ran for six seasons and won numerous awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama (1999) and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (2007).
Chase has been married twice. His first marriage was to Denise Kasell, with whom he has two daughters, Sarah and Jill. His second marriage is to Dana Weems, with whom he has a son, Jackson.
Chase has an estimated net worth of $80 million. He is of Italian and Jewish descent.
General Info
| Full Name | David Chase |
| Net Worth | $ 80 million |
| Date Of Birth | August 22, 1945 |
| Profession | Screenwriter, Television producer, Actor, Drummer, Television Director |
| Education | Stanford University, Wake Forest University, New York University |
| Nationality | American |
Family
| Spouse | Denise Kelly |
| Children | Michele DeCesare |
Accomplishments
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special, Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Dramatic Series, Directors Guild of Americ... |
| Nominations | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama, Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Edgar Award for Best Television Episode Teleplay, TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama |
| Movies | Not Fade Away, The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime, Off The Minnesota Strip |
| TV Shows | The Sopranos, Almost Grown |
Social profile links
Salary
| Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| The Sopranos (1999) | $15,000,000 (Season 5) |
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | [on the final scene of The Sopranos (1999)] He [Tony Soprano] can never be sure that any enemy is completely gone. He always has to have eyes behind his head. He stood more of a chance of getting shot by a rival gang . . . than you or I do because he put himself in that situation. All I know is the end is coming for all of us. That's what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don't stop believing. |
| 2 | Network television at that time was nothing but a world of certainties. The Sopranos (1999) was ambiguous to the point where, to this day, I'm not really sure whether it was a drama or a comedy. It can be both, but people like to reduce it to one or the other. I know there are the two masks, Comedy and Drama, hanging together, but that's not the way American audiences seem to break things down. |
| 3 | [on James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano] His eyes are very expressive. There's something about him that's very caring, which you see in him no matter what he's doing. There's a sadness there. As cynical, bullying, vulgar and overbearing as he could be, there's still a little boy in there. He did a lot of mean things, and he enjoyed vengeance, but he didn't seem mean. Somewhere he believed that people are good. There were some roads he was not going to go down, because there was no coming back. |
| 4 | [on having to eliminate certain characters during The Sopranos (1999) run] I'd call them into my office and tell them how grateful I was for all the work they'd done, and that this was very painful for the show but that the story had to be served. and this is where the story has taken us--rightly or wrongly--for myself and the other writers. And that the writers had thought about it a lot. We didn't do this easily or cheaply. We never fired anyone for dereliction of duty or for being difficult. It was a hard thing to do, but at the same time, I thought to myself, "Well, I'm writing about a guy who's the boss of a Mafia family, and he has to do these things, too". |
| 5 | I was picturing Anne Bancroft as Livia, Tony's mother. We must have read 200 women or more. Then somebody suggested Nancy Marchand. She came up the stairs; she was very out of breath. She sat down and did it, and she was channeling--that character is based on my mother, her mannerisms--she was channeling it. She just got it. The other people were playing this Italian mama who was crazy. She was playing some person who's only hearing what's going on in her head--that was the key. |
| 6 | [on the conception of The Sopranos (1999)] When I got over there, they asked, "Would you be interested in doing The Godfather (1972) for TV?" I said, "No, it's already been done". But then I started thinking about this idea that I'd had for a feature film, about a mobster in therapy. I told them about it, they sparked to it, and Fox bought it. When I wrote the pilot script for Fox, I had a feeling that this whole thing wasn't going to happen. I knew what network television is like, and this didn't have that feeling. Sure enough, they passed. |
| 7 | It's a cold universe, and I don't mean that metaphorically. If you go out into space, it's cold. It's really cold and we don't know what's up there. We happen to be in this little pocket where there's a sun. What have we got except love and each other to guard against all that isolation and loneliness? |
| 8 | I wrote many, many, many a script and they never got made. I could not get arrested, as they say. Nothing started to click movie-wise for me. All the scripts were either too dark or too this or that. Their appetite for me didn't get whetted until The Sopranos (1999), and once they see you are someone who can make a billion dollars, they let you do anything. That's all it comes down to. |
| 9 | I guess Tony Soprano has his roots in film noir, but the American gangster picture goes back a lot further than that. But in those films there was a moral accounting. In The Sopranos (1999) there is not. I guess what's essential about it is you are still portraying a hero. In American film, the hero is always the smartest guy in the room, he's always got the answer or the plan. We don't make movies about stumble-bums and slackers or lost souls. |
| 10 | [on a perceived change in the traditional view of men as heroes] There are people that will tell you the white American male is clinging to, and nostalgic for, his place at the top of the food chain. Maybe it isn't true anymore and that's what we're seeing. |
| 11 | Network dramas have not been personal. I don't know very many writers who have been cops, doctors, judges, presidents, or any of that--and, yet, that's what everybody writes about: institutions. The courthouse, the schoolhouse, the precinct house, the White House. Even though it's a Mob show, The Sopranos (1999) is based on members of my family. It's about as personal as you can get. |
| 12 | It wasn't something I was really dying to hear, because my response in my head was: I don't give a fuck - I hate television. But I wasn't used to being talked to that way. - on his reaction to Brad Grey's desire to sign him to a television deal. |
| 13 | I felt I was out of step with everything. I remember seeing Pretty Woman (1990) on an airplane. Everybody was laughing their heads off. "Ho-ho-ho!" It wasn't funny to me, it wasn't dramatic--it wasn't anything. I thought, "Why don't I just open the door and jump out?" |
| 14 | 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. |
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Livia Soprano's frequently used line "Oh poor You" was something Chase's mother used to say. |
| 2 | Based Tony Soprano's experience in psychotherapy for depression and anxiety on his own. |
| 3 | Chase named the 'College" episode of _ "The Sopranos (1999)_ as his favorite because of its "self-contained nature". Co-stars James Gandolfini and Jamie-Lynn Sigler agreed it was perhaps their favorite episode as well. |
| 4 | Has suffered from severe depression and panic attacks since his teens. His depression was so severe in his first year of college that he often slept for 18 hours a day. |
| 5 | He originally wanted to be a professional musician. |
| 6 | The character of Livia Soprano is based on his own mother, Norma. |
| 7 | Attended Wake Forest University in the mid-'60s. A few of The Sopranos (1999) episodes included references to both Wake Forest's basketball team as well as its location, Winston-Salem, NC. |
| 8 | Father of Michele DeCesare. |
Pictures
Movies
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Fade Away | 2012 | producer | |
| The Sopranos | 1999-2007 | TV Series executive producer - 86 episodes | |
| The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime | 1996 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play | 1996 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best | 1996 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... | 1996 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| Northern Exposure | 1993-1995 | TV Series executive producer - 47 episodes | |
| The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise | 1995 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. | 1994 | TV Movie supervising producer | |
| I'll Fly Away | 1992-1993 | TV Series executive producer - 24 episodes | |
| Almost Grown | 1988-1989 | TV Series executive producer - 13 episodes | |
| Moonlight | 1982 | TV Movie executive producer | |
| Palms Precinct | 1982 | TV Movie executive producer | |
| Off the Minnesota Strip | 1980 | TV Movie producer | |
| The Rockford Files | TV Series producer - 62 episodes, 1976 - 1979 supervising producer - 5 episodes, 1977 - 1979 |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Fade Away | 2012 | written by | |
| The Sopranos | TV Series created by - 86 episodes, 1999 - 2007 written by - 24 episodes, 1999 - 2007 story by - 6 episodes, 2001 - 2002 teleplay by - 1 episode, 2002 | ||
| The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime | 1996 | TV Movie written by | |
| The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best | 1996 | TV Movie written by | |
| Northern Exposure | 1994 | TV Series story by - 1 episode | |
| I'll Fly Away | 1991-1992 | TV Series written by - 4 episodes | |
| Almost Grown | 1988-1989 | TV Series created by - 13 episodes | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | 1986 | TV Series teleplay - 1 episode | |
| Moonlight | 1982 | TV Movie | |
| Palms Precinct | 1982 | TV Movie | |
| Off the Minnesota Strip | 1980 | TV Movie | |
| The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | 1980 | TV Series story - 1 episode | |
| The Rockford Files | TV Series written by - 18 episodes, 1976 - 1979 teleplay by - 2 episodes, 1978 story by - 1 episode, 1978 | ||
| Switch | TV Series writer - 3 episodes, 1975 - 1976 teleplay - 3 episodes, 1975 - 1976 | ||
| Kolchak: The Night Stalker | TV Series teleplay - 6 episodes, 1974 - 1975 written by - 2 episodes, 1974 - 1975 | ||
| The Magician | TV Series staff writer - 7 episodes, 1974 written by - 1 episode, 1974 | ||
| Grave of the Vampire | 1972 | novel "The Still Life" - uncredited / screenplay | |
| The Bold Ones: The Lawyers | 1971 | TV Series teleplay - 1 episode |
Miscellaneous
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rockford Files | 1979 | TV Series creative consultant - 1 episode | |
| Switch | 1975-1976 | TV Series story consultant - 24 episodes | |
| Kolchak: The Night Stalker | 1974-1975 | TV Series story consultant - 20 episodes |
Director
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'll Fly Away | 1992 | TV Series 2 episodes | |
| Almost Grown | 1988 | TV Series 1 episode | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | 1986 | TV Series 1 episode | |
| Not Fade Away | 2012 | ||
| The Sopranos | 1999-2007 | TV Series 2 episodes | |
| The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime | 1996 | TV Movie |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sopranos | 2000-2006 | TV Series | Airline Passenger / Man / Italian Man |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Fade Away | 2012 | writer: "Surgical Supply" |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Act of Killing | 2012 | Documentary special thanks | |
| Mad Men | 2007 | TV Series special thanks - 1 episode | |
| The Sopranos: A Sitdown | 2007 | TV Short documentary special thanks | |
| Expiration | 2003 | special thanks |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 1st Annual West Essex High School Film Festival | 2014 | TV Movie | Himself - Keynote Speaker |
| James Gandolfini: Tribute to a Friend | 2013 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Basement Tapes | 2013 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Charlie Rose | 2001-2013 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| Made in Hollywood | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Hour | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
| America in Primetime | 2011 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Creator, The Sopranos |
| Godfather World | 2008 | Video short | Himself |
| The Godfather vs. The Godfather Part II | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Beyond Wiseguys: Italian Americans & the Movies | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
| The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards | 2007 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series |
| Media City | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 50 Greatest Television Dramas | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Music of 'The Sopranos' | 2007 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| HBO: The Making of 'The Sopranos: Road to Respect' | 2006 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Mark Lawson Talks to... | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 2004 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Outstanding Drama Series |
| The 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 2003 | TV Special | Himself - Co-Winner: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series |
| Casting Calls | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Sopranos: Family Business | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The 51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1999 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series / Nominated: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series & Outstanding Drama Series |
| The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1978 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Outstanding Drama Series |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| El último golpe de Tony Soprano | 2008 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Reinventando Hollywood | 2008 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Awards
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lifetime Achievement Award in Television | PGA Awards | ||
| 2008 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | WGA Award (TV) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Dramatic Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2005 | Special Edgar | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | The Sopranos (1999) | |
| 2005 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2003 | Award of Excellence | Banff Television Festival | ||
| 2003 | OFTA Television Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Writing in a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2000 | Silver FIPA | Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming | TV Series and Serials | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2000 | DGA Award | Directors Guild of America, USA | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2000 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1993 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Television | I'll Fly Away (1991) |
| 1980 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special | Off the Minnesota Strip (1980) |
| 1978 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Rockford Files (1974) |
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | DGA Award | Directors Guild of America, USA | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2008 | WGA Award (TV) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Dramatic Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | Gold Derby TV Award | Gold Derby Awards | Drama Episode of the Year | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2007 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2003 | PGA Award | PGA Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2002 | WGA Award (TV) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Episodic Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1999 | TCA Award | Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Sopranos (1999) |
| 1994 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Northern Exposure (1990) |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | I'll Fly Away (1991) |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | I'll Fly Away (1991) |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series | I'll Fly Away (1991) |
| 1980 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Rockford Files (1974) |
| 1980 | WGA Award (TV) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Episodic Drama | The Rockford Files (1974) |
| 1979 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Rockford Files (1974) |
| 1978 | WGA Award (TV) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Episodic Drama | The Rockford Files (1974) |
| 1977 | Edgar | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Television Episode | The Rockford Files (1974) |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
