David Chase facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Chase
Chase at the U.S. embassy in Dublin, January 2015
Born	David Henry Chase (1945-08-22) August 22, 1945 (age 79) Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
Education	New York University (BA) Stanford University (MA)
Occupation	Screenwriter showrunner director producer
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Creator of The Sopranos
Spouse(s)	Denise Kelly
Children	1

David Henry Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is famous for creating, writing, and producing the TV show The Sopranos for HBO. This drama series ran for six seasons from 1999 to 2007.

Chase also worked on other TV shows like The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He created his own series called Almost Grown in 1988. David Chase has won seven Emmy Awards for his work. He also directed movies, starting with Not Fade Away in 2012. Later, he made The Many Saints of Newark (2021), which tells an earlier story related to The Sopranos.

Early Life and Education

David Chase was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He grew up in a working-class Italian American family as an only child. His parents were Norma and Enrico "Henry" Chase. His family had roots in Italy, with his grandparents coming from places like Abruzzo and Campania.

He spent his childhood in Clifton, New Jersey, and North Caldwell, New Jersey. His father owned a hardware store. David loved watching crime movies and was known for being a creative storyteller, even when he was young.

Chase has shared that he had some challenges with his parents growing up. He felt his father was often critical, and his mother was very emotional. He later used these experiences to create the character of Livia Soprano in The Sopranos, naming her after one of his aunts.

As a teenager, Chase faced struggles with his feelings, which continued into adulthood. He graduated from high school in 1964. He first attended Wake Forest University but found it difficult. He then transferred to New York University, where he decided to study film. This choice was not popular with his parents. He continued his studies at Stanford University's School of Film, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1971.

Career Beginnings

David Chase started his career in Hollywood as a story editor for the show Kolchak: The Night Stalker. After that, he produced episodes for other series, including The Rockford Files and Northern Exposure. He also wrote many episodes for The Rockford Files over four years.

He won several Emmy awards early in his career. One was for a TV movie he wrote in 1980 called Off the Minnesota Strip, which was about a young person who ran away from home. His first TV series that he created himself was Almost Grown in 1988. Even though critics liked it, only 10 episodes were shown.

Creating The Sopranos

Chase with Lorraine Bracco, who played Jennifer Melfi, receiving the Peabody Award for The Sopranos in 2000

Before The Sopranos became famous, David Chase was not widely known. The idea for The Sopranos first started as a movie about a fictional crime family leader who goes to therapy. With advice from his manager, Chase decided to turn it into a TV series.

He signed a deal in 1995 and wrote the first script for the show. He used many details from his own life and growing up in New Jersey. He said he tried to apply his own "family dynamic to mobsters." For example, the difficult relationship between the main character, Tony Soprano, and his mother, Livia Soprano, was partly based on Chase's relationship with his own mother. He was also seeing a therapist at the time, and he based the character of Jennifer Melfi on his own therapist.

Chase had been interested in stories about organized crime since he was young. He watched classic gangster films and TV shows like The Untouchables. The series was partly inspired by real-life crime families in New Jersey. He also mentioned that famous playwrights and directors influenced the show's writing and style. The show was named after some of his high school friends.

Chase and producer Brad Grey offered The Sopranos to several TV networks. Fox was interested but decided not to make it. Finally, they pitched the show to Chris Albrecht at HBO, who agreed to fund a pilot episode. Chase directed this first episode himself in 1997.

After the pilot was finished, HBO took several months to decide. Chase even thought about asking HBO for more money to make it into a movie instead. But in December 1997, HBO decided to produce the series, ordering 13 episodes for the first season. The show first aired on HBO on January 10, 1999.

David Chase is officially credited with writing 30 episodes of The Sopranos. However, as the show's creator and head writer, he played a big part in all the scripts. He also directed the very first episode and the final episode of the series.

About the ending of the show, which aired on June 10, 2007, Chase said he didn't want to explain it further. In 2022, Chase helped create a Super Bowl commercial featuring characters from the show. In September 2024, HBO released a two-part documentary about him and The Sopranos called Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos.

Film Projects

Not Fade Away (2012)

Not Fade Away was David Chase's first full-length movie. It came out on December 21, 2012. The film is about a teenage rock 'n' roll band in New Jersey in the 1960s. It's a coming-of-age story with a lot of music. James Gandolfini, who starred in The Sopranos, also appeared in this movie as the main character's father. Chase described the film as being about a father who gave his son many advantages but feels a bit jealous of his son's more free life. Another former Sopranos cast member, Steven Van Zandt, helped with the music.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Even though Chase was "against" making a prequel movie for a long time, New Line Cinema bought the script for The Many Saints of Newark in 2018. Chase wrote it with Lawrence Konner. Chase said he was interested in the city of Newark and its history, especially the 1967 Newark riots. He also wanted to explore the childhood of Tony Soprano.

Chase was a producer for the film. Alan Taylor, who had directed episodes of the TV series, was hired to direct the movie. The film's release date was changed a few times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It was finally released on October 1, 2021.

In October 2021, Chase and his production company made a deal with WarnerMedia. In March 2024, it was announced that he will direct a horror movie for New Line Cinema, with the screenplay written by Terrence Winter.

Unrealized Projects

A Ribbon of Dreams

David Chase had planned a TV miniseries for HBO called A Ribbon of Dreams. This series would have started in 1913 and followed two men who become pioneers in the movie industry. They would have worked with famous people like D.W. Griffith, John Ford, and John Wayne. The story would have covered the history of Hollywood, from silent films to talkies, and even to television. In 2021, Chase said that HBO offered a budget that was too low, so he decided not to go forward with the project.

Personal Life

After finishing college in 1968, David Chase moved to California. He married his high school girlfriend, Denise Kelly. They have one child, a daughter named Michele DeCesare. Michele is an actress and appeared in six episodes of The Sopranos as the character Hunter Scangarelo.

Chase once said he didn't like watching TV shows, except for The Sopranos and movies. However, he later mentioned that he watched Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men, which were created by writers who also worked on The Sopranos. He explained that his earlier negative comments were partly because he felt limited by network television in the 1990s.

In 2023, David Chase was honored by being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Select Filmography

Television

Film

Other Credits

Awards and Recognition

David Chase has won many awards for his work in television. He has received several Primetime Emmy Awards, which are very important awards for TV shows.

He won an Emmy for The Rockford Files in 1978. He also won for writing the TV movie Off The Minnesota Strip in 1980.

His most famous show, The Sopranos, earned him many nominations and wins. He won Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series in 2004 and 2007 for The Sopranos. He also won for writing episodes like "College" (1999), "Whitecaps" (2003), and "Made in America" (2007).

See also

In Spanish: David Chase para niños