David Chase
David Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an award-winning American television producer, writer, and director. He is most famous for creating the successful HBO series The Sopranos, about a modern Mafia family living in New Jersey, which debuted in 1999 to almost instant acclaim. His former classmate at Stanford University, John Patterson, has directed about a dozen episodes of The Sopranos.
Prior to creating and developing The Sopranos, Chase produced episodes of Northern Exposure and The Rockford Files, among other series. He also worked as a lead writer on The Rockford Files.
An Italian American who grew up in New Jersey, Chase was born David DeCesare. His daughter Michele DeCesare plays the character Hunter Scangarelo on The Sopranos.