CHARLEY CHASE

Charley Chase was a director and comedic actor from the 1914 to 1940. After appearing in mostly minor comedy roles in shorts for a decade, he became a major headliner in silent comedy shorts, appearing in almost 100 comedy shorts between 1924 and 1929, most directed by Leo McCarey. He had been acting since 1914, and had also done much directing starting that same year. He would almost always be billed as Charles Parrott when he directed and as Charley Chase when he acted. His acting career diminished greatly with the coming of sound, but he continued acting throughout the 1930s, and his best role was with Laurel & Hardy in Sons of the Desert and he also continued directing, including some memorable Three Stooges comedy shorts. Chase passed away in 1940 at the age of 46 following a massive heart attack, likely due to his longtime problem with alcoholism.