Chaykin was born in Brooklyn and later studied theater arts at the State University of New York in Buffalo and trained with Buffalo’s American Contemporary Theatre. In the 1970s, he appeared in some Off-Off-Broadway plays, before moving to Toronto, where he worked in theater and eventually found regular employment in film and television.
His many credits include Dances With Wolves, Whale Music, Hero, My Cousin Vinny, Unstrung Heroes, and Owning Mahowny. For two years, he was a semi-regular on HBO’s Entourage and starred in the HBO Canada sitcom Less Than Kind.
He is survived by his wife, actress Susannah Hoffman, and daughter, Rose.
