Chapin has twin brothers who are a bit older, and an eldest brother Henry Chapin six years Miles' senior, who was featured in 1961 as the child narrator in the recording of Benjamin Britten's "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Henry Chapin is a Cellist, and a music educator in New York City.
Chapin was born in New York City, New York, the son of Betty (née Steinway), a descendant of Henry E. Steinway (the founder of Steinway & Sons), and Schuyler Chapin, an author who was the General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera. He made his Broadway debut in Summer Brave in 1975.
Chapin has published two non-fiction books, Tales From The Jungle (Crown, 1995) and 88 Keys (Clarkson Potter, 1997) in addition to numerous magazine articles for Saveur, Garden Design, Quest, Cigar Aficionado, and Steinway & Sons Magazine. He was the recipient of a James Beard award in 2005 for an article in Saveur about Lüchow's restaurant.
Chapin owns the film rights to Ain’t No Sin to Rock and Roll, a novel by author Donald Gallinger, although has not released any plans for this film to the public yet.
