Chris Chesser, a producer of independent movies and documentaries, passed away suddenly on February 2 at his Los Angeles home. Among his works is the popular Charlie Sheen comedy Major League from 1989. He was 74.
His brothers Alan and Steve Chesser made the announcement of his passing today. There was no mention of the reason of death.
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In 1974, Chesser started working for Columbia Pictures in New York as an executive in the international sales department. In 1976, he moved to Los Angeles and was appointed general manager of the American Film Institute.
In 1978, he joined the newly established Orion Pictures as executive assistant to co-founder Mike Medavoy, and from 1980 to 1983, he worked as Marble Arch Productions’ vice president of production and Filmways’ head of production under George Litto and Bobby Meyers, respectively, until the latter company was acquired by Orion.
As a production executive, Chesser oversaw the making of movies like On Golden Pond by Universal, The Great Santini, Caddyshack, Wolfen, Arthur, and Orion’s Sharkey’s Machine. Also, he oversaw the production of Orion’s Yellowbeard and contributed to the development of Absence of Malice by Columbia and Spinal Tap by Embassy.
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Chesser worked as an independent producer and oversaw the War Party and Kansas films for Hemdale and Trans World Productions. At Trans World Productions, he produced the John Travolta–led film Eyes of an Angel, which Michael Douglas served as executive producer.
The baseball comedy Major League, written and directed by David Ward and starring Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes, and Rene Russo, is Chesser’s most well-known work. The successful movie was co-produced by Julie Bergman Sender, Mark Rosenberg, Joe Roth, and Irby Smith. Mark Rosenberg served as executive producer.
Along with Alan Beattie, with whom he founded Beattie/Chesser Productions to create and produce movies for both theatrical release and television, Chesser created Silhouette in 1990. The Wrong Man, directed by Jim McBride and distributed by Viacom Pictures, starred John Lithgow and Rosanna Arquette; Exquisite Tenderness, directed by Carl Schenkel and distributed by Capella Films, starred Malcolm McDowell, Peter Boyle, and Charles Dance; and Under Pressure, produced by Largo Entertainment and starring Charlie Sheen and Mare Winningham and shown as an HBO Premiere Movie.
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In 1996, Beattie and Chesser collaborated with film and television producer John Corry to produce a number of documentary series for television, including Celebrity Wings with Dennis Quaid and Hugh Hefner for Discovery Networks, The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich with Charlton Heston for The History Channel, and Secrets of War with Charlton Heston for Pearson Television and The History Channel.
In 2003, Karen Glasser produced the action-comedy The Rundown from Universal, which starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Chesser, Beattie, and Corry served as the film’s executive producers.
From 2005 to 2007, Chesser collaborated once more with Corry and Glasser to develop The Long March for The History Channel, Safari Tracks for MGM Television, and a 3D animated film version of The Ten Commandments starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Christian Slater, and Elliott Gould.
Eric Roberts-starring thriller Bloodwork was produced by Chesser in 2012, and in 2015, Robin Williams, Kate Beckinsale, and Rob Riggle starred in the sci-fi comedy Absolutely Anything.
Chesser’s two brothers are still alive.
