A journeyman television writer and director, David Chase finally grabbed hold of the brass ring when he created the highly-acclaimed HBO drama series "The Sopranos" (1998-2007), an unusually gritty soap opera that centered on a New Jersey mobster (James Gandolfini) and his two families – the one at home and the one on the job. Well-written and perfectly acted by a cast that also included Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Bracco, Nancy Marchand and Edie Falco, "The Sopranos" became an immediate critical darling and audience favorite, sparking a resurgence in the mafia subgenre and making it suddenly
At age five, moved with family from New York to New Jersey
Worked in father's hardware store on weekends as a teenager
1971
Settled in California
1974
Screenwriting debut, adapting novel "Still Life" as the horror film "Grave of the Vampires"
1976
TV debut as supervising producer (also wrote) of "The Rockford Files" (NBC); show won 1978 Emmy as Outstanding Drama Series and was nominated in 1979 and 1980
