What actor starred in the video for Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al"?

Chevy Chase starred in the music video for Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” His exaggerated lip-sync performance helped make the video one of the most recognizable clips of the 1980s.

The replacement video was directed by Gary Weis and developed with input from Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Chase, a tall comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member, lip-synced Simon’s lead vocals while Simon mimed the backing vocals. Their contrasting heights and deliberately awkward movements created the video’s central visual joke.

The clip also plays with musical performance. Chase appears to mime instruments, including the penny whistle, while Simon performs beside him with a deadpan expression. The result turns the song into a compact comedy sketch rather than a conventional band performance.

The song appeared on Simon’s 1986 album Graceland, whose South African-influenced production and multicultural collaborations became central to its identity. The video helped bring that unusual sound to a broad television audience. Viewers sometimes remember Chase as a singer on the track, but Paul Simon recorded the vocals; Chase’s role was visual and comedic.