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An American character actor known for comedic roles from the 1920s to the 1950s, he was born Fehmer Christy Chandler in Kingston, New York. Named after his uncle, the renowned architect Carl Fehmer, he was the son of Colonel George F. Chandler and Martha Schultze, a sportswriter and daughter of Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Carl Schultze. By age 12, he was already performing as a dancer and entertainer in local stage productions. His father, an army surgeon and founder of the New York State Police, enrolled him at The Manlius School, a military academy, where he attended for three years, excelled, and achieved the rank of corporal. At 16, despite his family's plans for a military career, he left school to work on a tramp steamer and later pursued vaudeville, studying dance under famed choreographer Ned Wayburn.
Throughout the 1920s, Chandler enjoyed a flourishing career as a dancer and comedian in vaudeville and burlesque, occasionally partnering with Naomi Morton, granddaughter of vaudeville and Broadway star Sam Morton. In 1930, still billed as Fehmer Chandler, he joined the Liberty Bell Filling Station radio show starring Chic Sale, playing Rodney Gordon, assistant to Wheel Wilkins (Sale), the gas station owner. Two years later, he secured a role in the Ben Hecht-Gene Fowler Broadway play The Great Magoo. Noticed there by film producer David O. Selznick, Chandler—now using his childhood nickname Chick—was signed to a contract at RKO. Selznick described him as "a cross between Lee Tracy and James Cagney." Having done behind-the-scenes work for director Charles Brabin in 1923 and acted in at least one silent film, Chandler transitioned fully to film acting with his 1933 movies Sweepings and Melody Cruise. Over the next 36 years, he appeared mainly in supporting comic roles in nearly 120 films.
Under the pseudonym Guy Fehmer, Chandler wrote a screenplay about racing titled The Quitter. In 1955, he starred as Toubo Smith in the adventure series Soldiers of Fortune, alongside John Russell as Tim Kelly. The show followed their worldwide treasure hunts, rescues, and explorations, earning Chandler his greatest fame. During off-seasons, he toured nationally in stock and musical theater productions such as Harvey and Annie Get Your Gun. He was also a regular on the short-lived 1961 NBC comedy series One Happy Family.
In February 1925, Chandler became engaged to Dorothy Knapp, a Ziegfeld Follies performer and Christy model whom he met around 1922 in his uncle Howard Chandler Christy's studio. Knapp ended the engagement to further her career. Subsequently, Chandler formed a vaudeville partnership, both professional and personal, with 17-year-old Sallie Sharon, whom he met at West Point; the duo never married. On April 4, 1931, Chandler wed Eugenia "Jean" Frontai, a former contract performer with David Belasco's theatrical company. They remained married for 57 years until Chandler died of a heart attack on September 30, 1988. Jean Chandler passed away from cancer the following day at the same hospital, South Coast Medical Center. The couple had no children.
