Jacqueline Carlin, born Jacqueline Mary Carlin, was an American actress, model and creative businesswoman best remembered publicly as the second wife of comedian Chevy Chase. Yet her story extends well beyond that four-year marriage. Carlin appeared in the historic first episode of Saturday Night Live, acted in television and film, later married record producer Terry Melcher, became mother to their son Ryan, and spent much of her later life designing properties and participating in community activities around Carmel, California. She died on July 1, 2021, at age 78 after a year-long battle with cancer.
Jacqueline Carlin Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jacqueline Mary Carlin |
| Later Name | Jacqueline Carlin Melcher |
| Date of Birth | November 20, 1942 |
| Birthplace | Caldwell, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, model, pitchwoman, later home designer/property business |
| Known For | Acting career and marriage to Chevy Chase |
| First Husband | Peter Byam Cannon |
| Second Husband | Chevy Chase |
| Marriage to Chevy | December 4, 1976 |
| Divorce | 1980 |
| Third Husband | Terry Melcher |
| Child | Ryan Melcher |
| Son’s Birth | May 21, 1983 |
| Mother-in-Law | Doris Day |
| Famous Film Credit | Thank God It’s Friday |
| SNL Connection | Appeared in the first episode in 1975 |
| Date of Death | July 1, 2021 |
| Age at Death | 78 |
| Cause of Death | Cancer |
| Final Home | Carmel, California |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
Who Was Jacqueline Carlin?
Jacqueline Carlin was a woman whose life crossed several remarkable areas of American entertainment.
She appeared in television.
She modeled.
She was connected with the earliest days of Saturday Night Live.
She married one of the program’s biggest breakout stars.
Later, she married a successful record producer whose mother happened to be legendary actress and singer Doris Day.
Yet Jacqueline was never someone who spent her entire life chasing celebrity attention.
Her obituary paints a much broader picture: a mother, sister, creative designer, property owner, church-community member and woman deeply interested in homes and entertaining. (Legacy.com)
That makes her life far more interesting than the simple phrase “Chevy Chase’s ex-wife.”
Jacqueline Carlin Was Born in New Jersey
Jacqueline was born on November 20, 1942.
Her published obituary places her birth in Caldwell, New Jersey, while IMDb gives nearby Essex Fells. Because the family-approved obituary specifically identifies Caldwell, that is the stronger location to use.
Her parents were Edward Walter Carlin and Gertrude Elizabeth Carlin.
Jacqueline grew up as one of several children.
Her obituary names siblings Trudy Rutledge, Pamela Plant, Edward Carlin and Charity Walton-Masters.
She attended Saint Aloysius grammar school and Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell before continuing her education at Immaculata College in Washington, D.C.
Was Jacqueline Carlin Related to George Carlin?
No.
This question appears surprisingly often because of one remarkable coincidence.
The very first episode of Saturday Night Live was hosted by comedian George Carlin.
Jacqueline Carlin also appeared in that same episode.
Despite sharing the surname, IMDb specifically notes that Jacqueline and George Carlin were not related.
The coincidence became even more interesting because Jacqueline made television history during that episode.
Jacqueline Carlin Was Part of the First SNL Episode
Saturday Night Live premiered on October 11, 1975, although it was initially called NBC’s Saturday Night.
George Carlin hosted.
Billy Preston and Janis Ian were musical guests.
The original cast included Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris, among others.
Jacqueline appeared in a fake commercial sketch called “New Dad.”
She played the wife.
Dan Aykroyd played the original father, while Chevy Chase became the replacement “new dad.”
Because that filmed segment appeared before the regular female cast members had appeared in a conventional sketch, Jacqueline is often credited as the first female actor to appear on screen in SNL history. IMDb records the same distinction.
That is a fascinating achievement for someone rarely mentioned in lists of important early SNL figures.
Was Jacqueline Carlin an SNL Cast Member?
No.
This distinction is important.
Jacqueline was not one of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the official original cast.
She appeared as a guest/cameo performer.
SNL archives show her making several appearances during the first season, including the premiere.
So saying she was “the first female SNL cast member” would be inaccurate.
Women such as Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman were actual original cast members.
The more accurate description is:
Jacqueline Carlin is widely credited as the first female actor seen performing in an SNL sketch during the show’s premiere.
Jacqueline Carlin’s Acting and Modeling Career
Jacqueline worked as an actress and model during the 1970s.
TIME described her in 1978 as a television guest actress and Palmolive pitchwoman.
IMDb lists credits associated with productions including:
Bronk
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Saturday Night Live
The Chevy Chase Show
and Thank God It’s Friday.
Her career was not enormous in terms of dozens of starring movie roles.
But she was visibly active within the television and entertainment world of the 1970s.
Jacqueline Carlin in Thank God It’s Friday
One of her clearest movie credits came in the 1978 disco comedy Thank God It’s Friday.
The movie starred Donna Summer and featured performers including Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger and The Commodores.
Jacqueline played the woman credited as “Blonde in Blue Blouse.”
It was a relatively small role, but the film became an enduring piece of late-1970s disco culture.
For Jacqueline, it added a recognizable feature-film credit during the period when her marriage to Chevy Chase was receiving increasing press attention.
Jacqueline Had Been Married Before Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase was not Jacqueline’s first husband.
IMDb records an earlier marriage to Peter Byam Cannon, beginning on January 8, 1966. The database does not provide a dependable public divorce date.
The earlier marriage receives little attention in major entertainment biographies.
That is partly because Jacqueline’s relationship with Chase later became much more public.
By the mid-1970s, she was dating one of television’s fastest-rising comedy stars.
How Did Jacqueline Carlin Meet Chevy Chase?
Their exact first meeting is less firmly documented than many online biographies suggest.
What is clear is that they were romantically involved during Chevy’s brief but explosive first run on Saturday Night Live.
Chevy later said his relationship with Jacqueline influenced one of the biggest professional decisions of his life.
She did not want to relocate to New York permanently.
Chevy, who had become an overnight star through Weekend Update and his physical comedy, decided to leave SNL and move toward Los Angeles. Recent reporting on his departure again identifies Jacqueline as a major factor in that decision. (Us)
He chose the relationship.
Then he married her.
When Did Jacqueline Carlin Marry Chevy Chase?
Jacqueline and Chevy married on December 4, 1976.
Chevy was 33.
Jacqueline was 34.
That corrects another common misconception.
Some poorly sourced biography pages portray Jacqueline as considerably younger than Chevy.
In reality, she was born in November 1942 and Chevy was born in October 1943, meaning Jacqueline was almost a year older.
She became Chevy’s second wife.
His first marriage to Susan Hewitt had ended earlier in 1976.
Jacqueline Was Part of Chevy Chase’s Early Fame
Their relationship developed during perhaps the most dramatic career transition Chevy Chase ever experienced.
He had become the first breakout celebrity from SNL.
His Weekend Update catchphrase—“I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not”—made him instantly recognizable.
Then he left.
Hollywood movies followed.
Jacqueline was beside him as his career moved away from weekly sketch television and toward film stardom.
She also appeared as herself in the 1977 television special The Chevy Chase Show.
But the marriage quickly became troubled.
Jacqueline Filed for Divorce in 1978
On April 5, 1978, The Washington Post reported that Jacqueline had filed for divorce after only about 17 months of marriage.
The report said the couple had separated the previous day.
Her filing included serious allegations.
Jacqueline alleged that Chase had threatened to smash windows and take away her personal belongings.
A statement released by her attorney said Jacqueline believed Chevy had “lost perspective” and was no longer interested in preserving the marriage. Chase did not immediately respond publicly to those claims at the time.
These should be described accurately as allegations contained in the divorce dispute, not as criminal findings.
The Divorce Did Not Happen Immediately
Their story became more complicated.
After Jacqueline initially filed in April 1978, the couple reconciled for several months.
They apparently attempted to save the relationship.
Ultimately, it did not work.
UPI reported in November 1980 that the pair had resumed divorce proceedings after the temporary reconciliation.
That means their marriage was emotionally over long before the final court order.
When Did Jacqueline Carlin and Chevy Chase Divorce?
There is a small date discrepancy in online databases.
IMDb gives November 14, 1980 as the end of the marriage.
However, contemporary UPI reporting says a Los Angeles judge actually granted their divorce on November 26, 1980. (UPI)
Because UPI was reporting directly on the court action at the time, November 26 is the stronger date for the final judicial decree.
The judge also ordered Chevy to pay Jacqueline a $400,000 settlement.
Other details of the settlement remained private.
Did Jacqueline and Chevy Have Children?
No.
Jacqueline Carlin and Chevy Chase had no children together.
TIME explicitly noted that there were no children when Jacqueline first sought divorce in 1978, and later biographical records agree.
Chevy later became a father with his third wife, Jayni Luke Chase.
Jacqueline also later became a mother—but with another husband.
Who Did Jacqueline Carlin Marry After Chevy Chase?
Jacqueline later married Terry Melcher.
Melcher was a successful record producer and musician.
He was also the only son of legendary Hollywood star Doris Day.
That made Jacqueline Doris Day’s daughter-in-law during this stage of her life.
Terry had an important career in popular music and worked with artists including The Byrds.
Through this marriage, Jacqueline moved from the comedy-and-television world surrounding Chevy into another famous entertainment family.
Jacqueline and Terry Melcher Had a Son
Jacqueline became a mother to Ryan Melcher.
Her obituary states that Ryan was born on May 21, 1983 and was the light of her life.
Ryan was Jacqueline’s only child mentioned in her obituary.
The family initially lived in Los Angeles before relocating to Carmel, California, when Ryan was around three years old. (Legacy.com)
That move marked the beginning of a much quieter and more creatively focused chapter in Jacqueline’s life.
Doris Day Became Part of Jacqueline’s Family
When Jacqueline married Terry, actress and singer Doris Day became her mother-in-law.
Doris had already retired from the Hollywood career that made her one of America’s biggest film stars.
She had also become deeply involved with animal welfare.
After Jacqueline, Terry and young Ryan moved north, they spent time living in a guest house on Doris Day’s Carmel Valley property while Jacqueline planned and built a family home of her own.
That home overlooked the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
For someone interested in design, the project became the start of another career direction.
Jacqueline Carlin Became Interested in Home Design
Jacqueline’s obituary provides details that rarely appear in celebrity biographies.
She loved architecture, decoration and creating beautiful spaces.
After building her Carmel home, she continued designing and developing properties in the area and expanded a rental business.
This appears to have become a substantial part of her later working life.
It also explains why her public acting credits slowed down.
Jacqueline did not simply disappear after Hollywood.
She redirected her creativity toward homes and property.
Jacqueline and the Cypress Inn
During the late 1980s, Jacqueline and Terry, together with Doris Day, became involved with the famous Cypress Inn in Carmel.
Her obituary says they purchased a half-interest in the hotel.
Jacqueline helped improve its decoration and atmosphere and organized events there, including gatherings connected with Doris Day and her animal-welfare efforts.
Carmel eventually became much more than simply a place where Jacqueline lived.
It became the center of her family, creative and community life.
Did Jacqueline Carlin and Terry Melcher Divorce?
Yes.
IMDb places the end of their marriage in 1997.
Federal court records also clearly identify Jacqueline as Terry Melcher’s ex-wife in later litigation concerning property division following their divorce.
Their financial disagreements continued after the marriage ended.
Terry later remarried and died in 2004.
Despite the divorce, Jacqueline’s 2021 obituary described Terry among those who had predeceased her and focused primarily on the family life they had shared rather than legal conflict.
Jacqueline Carlin’s Son Stayed Close to Her
One of the warmest details in Jacqueline’s obituary concerns Ryan.
It says he cared for his mother until the end of her life, supported by his girlfriend and Jacqueline’s sister Charity.
That is an important part of her final years.
For all the famous names surrounding Jacqueline—Chevy Chase, Terry Melcher, Doris Day—her obituary makes clear that family mattered most.
Ryan was the central person in her life.
What Was Jacqueline Carlin Like Away From Hollywood?
Her family remembered a woman with strong opinions and enormous energy.
The obituary says Jacqueline listened carefully to other people, encouraged them and was willing to stand up for those she believed were being treated unfairly.
She also loved entertaining.
She enjoyed creating beautiful surroundings.
Her family described her as funny, determined and deeply committed to her beliefs.
Her personal philosophy was summarized by a phrase she frequently used:
“Always be positive, and never give up.”
That description feels very different from the limited picture created by old divorce headlines.
When Did Jacqueline Carlin Die?
Jacqueline Carlin Melcher died on July 1, 2021, in Carmel, California.
She was 78 years old.
Her obituary says she died peacefully in her sleep after a year-long battle with cancer.
The public notice does not specify the type of cancer, so claims naming a specific cancer should be treated cautiously unless supported by another reliable family source.
Her funeral services were held at the Carmel Mission Basilica later that month.
Was Chevy Chase Still Married to Jacqueline When She Died?
No.
Their divorce had been completed more than 40 years earlier.
Chevy married Jayni Luke in 1982, and they remain married in 2026. (Us)
Jacqueline had also moved into a different life with Terry Melcher and their son.
So she should never be described as Chevy Chase’s wife at the time of her death.
She was his former second wife.
Jacqueline Carlin’s Net Worth
Jacqueline Carlin’s net worth was never reliably made public.
Her life involved several potential sources of assets:
Acting and modeling.
Property development.
Rental properties.
Her divorce settlement from Chevy Chase.
Her later marriage to Terry Melcher.
Business interests in Carmel.
However, no dependable financial source provides a complete picture of her assets and liabilities.
Therefore, exact numbers appearing on celebrity-net-worth blogs should not be treated as established fact.
Why Is Jacqueline Carlin Still Searched Today?
Much of the renewed interest comes from Chevy Chase and Saturday Night Live.
People researching Chevy discover that Jayni Chase was not his first wife.
Then they find Jacqueline.
From there, the story becomes surprising.
She was an actress herself.
She appeared in SNL’s first-ever episode.
She may have been the first female actor seen in one of the program’s sketches.
She influenced Chevy’s decision to leave SNL.
She later married Doris Day’s son.
She became a mother.
And she built a completely different life in Carmel.
That is much more than most readers expect to find.
Jacqueline Carlin’s SNL Legacy
Perhaps the most fascinating footnote in Jacqueline’s career happened before anyone understood what SNL would become.
On October 11, 1975, nobody knew the new late-night comedy experiment would continue for more than half a century.
Jacqueline appeared in “New Dad.”
Chevy Chase was there.
Dan Aykroyd was there.
And because of the order in which the program aired its material, Jacqueline gained an unusual place in television history.
She never became an official cast member.
She did not build a decades-long comedy career from the appearance.
But history is history.
And Jacqueline Carlin was there on night one.
Final Thoughts
Jacqueline Carlin deserves to be remembered as more than Chevy Chase’s second wife.
She was born Jacqueline Mary Carlin on November 20, 1942, in New Jersey and developed a career as an actress and model.
Then television history happened.
She appeared in the “New Dad” commercial during the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live in October 1975 and is widely credited as the first female actor to appear in an SNL sketch.
Her relationship with Chevy became serious enough to influence his decision to leave the series.
They married in December 1976.
Less than two years later, Jacqueline filed for divorce and made serious allegations about problems inside the marriage. They briefly reconciled before finally separating, with a Los Angeles judge granting the divorce in November 1980 and approving a $400,000 settlement.
Then Jacqueline began another life.
She married record producer Terry Melcher.
Their son Ryan was born in 1983.
They moved to Carmel, where Jacqueline designed homes, developed rental properties and became involved with the Cypress Inn and community events connected with Doris Day.
Her marriage to Terry eventually ended, but Carmel remained central to her life.
Jacqueline died there on July 1, 2021, after battling cancer for a year. Her son Ryan cared for her until the end.
Her story moves from New Jersey to early SNL, Hollywood marriages, music-industry connections and finally a quieter creative life overlooking California’s coast.
That is why Jacqueline Carlin remains interesting decades after her most famous television appearances.
FAQs About Jacqueline Carlin
Who was Jacqueline Carlin?
Jacqueline Carlin was an American actress, model and later property designer best known as Chevy Chase’s second wife and for appearing in the first episode of Saturday Night Live.
What was Jacqueline Carlin’s full name?
Her full birth name was Jacqueline Mary Carlin.
When was Jacqueline Carlin born?
She was born on November 20, 1942.
Where was Jacqueline Carlin born?
Her obituary says she was born in Caldwell, New Jersey. IMDb lists nearby Essex Fells, but the family obituary provides the stronger identification.
Was Jacqueline Carlin related to George Carlin?
No. Despite sharing a surname and both appearing in SNL’s premiere episode, they were not related.
Was Jacqueline Carlin an actress?
Yes. Her credits included Bronk, The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, The Chevy Chase Show and Thank God It’s Friday.
Was Jacqueline Carlin on the first Saturday Night Live?
Yes. She appeared in the “New Dad” segment during the October 11, 1975 premiere.
Was Jacqueline Carlin the first woman on SNL?
She is often credited as the first female actor to appear on screen in an SNL sketch, but she was not an official cast member.
What role did Jacqueline Carlin play in Thank God It’s Friday?
She was credited as Blonde in Blue Blouse in the 1978 movie.
Was Jacqueline Carlin Chevy Chase’s first wife?
No. She was his second wife. His first wife was Susan Hewitt.
When did Jacqueline Carlin marry Chevy Chase?
They married on December 4, 1976.
Did Jacqueline Carlin cause Chevy Chase to leave SNL?
Chevy later said his relationship with Jacqueline and her unwillingness to move to New York were important reasons behind his decision to leave the show.
Why did Jacqueline Carlin divorce Chevy Chase?
When she filed in 1978, Jacqueline alleged threatening behavior and said she believed Chase no longer wanted to preserve the marriage. Those were allegations reported during the divorce proceedings, not criminal findings.
When did Jacqueline Carlin and Chevy Chase divorce?
Contemporary UPI reporting says the final divorce was granted on November 26, 1980, although IMDb gives November 14.
How much did Jacqueline Carlin receive in the divorce?
A judge ordered Chevy Chase to pay her a $400,000 settlement.
Did Jacqueline Carlin and Chevy Chase have children?
No. They did not have children together.
Who did Jacqueline Carlin marry after Chevy Chase?
She later married record producer Terry Melcher, the son of Doris Day.
Did Jacqueline Carlin have children?
Yes. She and Terry Melcher had a son named Ryan Melcher, born May 21, 1983. (Legacy.com)
Was Doris Day related to Jacqueline Carlin?
Yes, through marriage. Doris Day was Terry Melcher’s mother, making her Jacqueline’s mother-in-law while Jacqueline and Terry were married.
Where did Jacqueline Carlin live later in life?
She settled in the Carmel, California area, where she designed homes, developed rental properties and participated in local community life.
When did Jacqueline Carlin die?
She died on July 1, 2021.
How old was Jacqueline Carlin when she died?
She was 78 years old.
What was Jacqueline Carlin’s cause of death?
Her obituary says she died after a year-long battle with cancer. The specific type was not disclosed there.
What was Jacqueline Carlin’s net worth?
Her personal net worth was never reliably verified.
Why is Jacqueline Carlin famous?
She is remembered for her acting and modeling career, her historic appearance in SNL’s first episode, her marriage to Chevy Chase, and her later family life with Terry Melcher and their son Ryan.
For more celebrity, television and family stories, visit Carter Magazine.
