Chick was born in Boyle Heights, California and experienced several health problems as a child. The family later moved to Alhambra where Chick was active in the high school drama club. After his graduation he continued his education in this area at the Pasadena Playhouse School of Theater on a two-year scholarship.
During World War II Chick was enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Pacific theater. After the war he returned to the Pasadena Playhouse, and met his wife while working on a production there.
His wife, the former Lola Lynn, came from a family which held highly fundamental Christian beliefs, and Chick's current religious beliefs can probably be traced to their influence. He also counts Rev. Charles E. Fuller as a major influence.
After his marriage, he began working at the AstroScience Corporation in El Monte, California, and began an evangelical hobby, self-publishing his first tract, "Why No Revival?" Chick founded his own company, originally based in his kitchen, soon afterward.
Chick lives a more or less reclusive life; he last granted an interview in 1975. He is reported to be currently working on a film version of the Bible, and also continues to produce tracts at the rate of about two a month.