Chase was born in Lower Manhattan, New York City. His father, Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase, was a prominent Manhattan book editor and magazine writer. His mother, Cathalene Parker (née Browning), a concert pianist and librettist, was the daughter of Miles Browning, who served a critical role at the Battle of Midway in World War II; she was adopted as a child by Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, and took Read more...

Chase began to branch out into comedy (he cited Ernie Kovacs as one of his biggest influences), making it a full time career by 1973, when Chase became a cast member of The National Lampoon Radio Hour, a syndicated satirical series aired on Sunday nights. (prior to this, he had been in an early underground comedy ensemble called Channel One which he co-founded in 1967, he had written a one-page Read more...

Chase is the father of three girls, Cydney, Caley, and Emily. He lives with his wife, Jayni, in Bedford, New York. He took part in Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Ball in 2006.

Chase is also an avid fan of jazz music. He publicly made this known when he hosted the 2007 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.