What Ever Happened To: Chris Makepeace

Back in the early 80’s, there was one actor who looked to have a great future ahead of him. That was Chris Makepeace.


The Canadian actor began his career playing “Rudy the Rabbit” in the Bill Murray classic MEATBALLS (a special edition DVD is being released next week).


His next film MY BODYGUARD. As the new kid in school, who clashes with bully Matt Dillon (in still one of his best performances) he goes on to hire Adam Baldwin for protection. A great film and a great role.


Next up was THE LAST CHASE. I’ve been meaning to do a full write-up of this one as part of my NOT ON DVD feature since I recently was able to find a VHS copy. In this, he and Lee Majors drove around in a sports car, in a future world where gas is scarce. (EDIT: You can read my review of THE LAST CHASE here)

But then the roles got smaller. Rather than the leads, he had smaller roles in MAZES AND MONSTERS (the anti Dungeons and Dragons film with Tom Hanks), THE TERRY FOX STORY, and FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN.


He played the lead in 1986’s VAMP, and ALOHA SUMMER in 1988. In the nineties, he only has four credits, nothing anyone has heard of. And there is a minor role in a 2001 Canadian film. That is his last credit.


So, what ever happened to him?

While I’ve been unable to find anything official about him, according to some credits on the internet, he moved behind the camera. In the early 2000’s, he began acting as assistant director and producer in several Canadian productions. There is a 2006 credit as “construction producer” of a Canadian show called HANDYMAN SUPERSTAR CHALLENGE.

I don't know if this was just a case of him not wanting stardom, but he was a good actor. He probably could have had a bigger career if he wanted to. It could be that he wanted to stay behind the camera.


UPDATE: 6-9-07 Chris appears in the documentaries on the new MEATBALLS Special Edition DVD. He is interviewed about the making of the film. So, he is still out there. It looks like he was interviewed in a video editing studio, making the rumors of his postproduction work seem true. He has a lot of great stories about the making of the film, so for fans, it is worth watching the DVD.