Shortly after graduating as valedictorian, Chetwynd married future Hollywood actor Gloria Carlin, whom he met at Sir George.
[citation needed] After obtaining his degree, Chetwynd did graduate work in law in the United Kingdom at Trinity College, Oxford.
[citation needed] Hired to write scripts for CBS (Love of Life) and PBS television networks, Chetwynd soon turned to directing his own screenplays, meeting with success for his 1978 film Two Solitudes.
Adapted by Chetwynd from the Hugh MacLennan book, and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Stacy Keach, and Claude Jutra, the film dealt with societal issues relative to Canada's French and English speaking population and the Conscription Crisis of 1917.
[citation needed] A supporter of Ronald Reagan, Chetwynd's work, pronouncements, and endorsement of conservative ideologies, made him a favorite of the political right in the United States.
That year he was commissioned to create and write a special tribute to the United States Congress as part of the Constitutional Bicentennial celebration.
He also wrote and helped produce the gala that celebrated the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution starring Ben Vereen, that was presented in Philadelphia before members of congress and the Supreme Court.
The story deals with events during McCarthyism that saw Foreman, a talented film producer and screenwriter, blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.
[citation needed] Chetwynd continued his work in documentaries, notably producing and directing An Improbable Dream (2016) which traced the lives of students of Canada's National Ballet School from their 10th and 11th birthdays into their early 50s.
It met with great success, receiving New York Festival Gold Medals for both directing and also producing, as well as a People's Telly Award.
During this time he has worked on several other projects including a series for FX and a mini-series dealing with the end of the Cold War and the Armenian genocide.
[citation needed] Chetwynd has more than 60 longform and feature credits and over two dozen documentary credits, which have received numerous citations including six Writers Guild of America nominations (including an award), New York Film festival gold medal, two Christophers, six Tellys, two Genie nominations and two George Washington medals from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.