Chris Farley, performing as a cast member on the groundbreaking comedy series Saturday Night Live (from the fall of 1990 to the spring of 1995) fulfilled his lifelong dream of following in the footsteps of his idol, fellow SNL alumnus and comedic legend, John Belushi.
Farley was a Wisconsin boy who loved every inch of his home state --from cheese and bratwurst to the Badgers and the Green Bay Packers-- and a hyper-energized talent who loved to make others laugh, most often at his own expense.
The third of five children, Chris grew up mostly in… More affluent Maple Bluff, a suburb of Madison. From entertaining his humor-loving Irish family to winning the perpetual title of clown, he continued climbing the comedy ladder, where, at age twenty-four, he was standing in the spotlight of his comedic hero, Belushi, performing on Chicago's famous Second City main review stage, achieving in one year what it took most three or more years to accomplish. (While at Second City, Farley began to follow John Belushi's trail down less glorious paths, as well, frequenting the Blues Bar where John used to do drugs, and sometimes taking drunk and high to un-funny extremes.)
Chris Farley, the former improvisational theater star who loved the live TV comedy show atmosphere from the start, especially appreciated his fans, but never understood the adulation. Best known for his many boisterous portrayals of Saturday Night Live characters (the overzealous, auditioning Chippendales dancer, the rhythmic Lunch Lady whose moves accompanied comedian/singer Adam Sandler's rendition of "Lunch Lady Land," and typically his most popular character: thrice-divorced, van-dwelling motivational speaker Matt Foley), Chris' physical agility was never hampered by his ever-growing physique. Playing a loveable, insecure caricature of himself as the host of the SNL segment, "The Chris Farley Show," was also instrumental in quickly establishing him as a Saturday Night Live favorite.
Soon, Farley proved he could carry his comedy to the big screen with minor roles as Conehead Connie's boyfriend, Ronnie, in the 1993 movie, Coneheads, which was based on a popular Saturday Night Live skit; Officer Wilson in 1994's Airheads; and playing a bus driver in Billy Madison (1995). These cameos led to Chris' successful starring performances in Tommy Boy (1995) and Black Sheep in 1996, both in which he acted with fellow SNL cast member and best friend, David Spade, the latter of which propelled the comedians into potential box office stardom.
Unfortunately, Chris Farley's high-speed consumed him more times than not. He incessantly tried to find a more sober world, checking himself into rehab clinic after rehab clinic (as many as seventeen in all) for increasingly shorter stays. But each time he returned, Chris quickly fell back into excessive alcohol and drug use. Sadly, like John Belushi, the comedic idol whom he forever-emulated and who spiraled out of control and died of an overdose at age thirty-three in 1982, Farley's desire to please, a lack of self-esteem, and lifelong addictive patterns snuffed out the star's potential at, ironically, just thirty-three.
To this day, Chris remains to be one of the funniest and certainly most animated comic actors in the business, and is no longer compared to Belushi, but is remembered by his peers and fans, alike, as the funnier of the two.
My girlfriend bought me this for my birthday and as a die hard Farley fan I almost want to say stay away from it. It's heartbreaking not only to read about his death from so many angles but to see how haunted he was and how much of a role his family, especially his dad, played in his life and… More death. Some of the people in the book used Chris and still claim to be his saving grace. If you haven't read it take a look into it and post your thoughts here.
For my money Black Sheep was Chris' best movie. He was at his comedic best and there was also a lot of dark humour if you pay close enough attention.
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Big talent and loads of fun. hide show
Chris Farley wasn't just that big, fat guy, but he was a comedian and he knew how to do that properly. He strided from being a Second City cast member to a Saturday Night Live cast member. There, he did his characters, such as the motivational speaker Matt Foley, my favorite, and Bennett Brauer. He spent five years on Saturday Night Live to make people laugh at his character and impressions and he made friends with fellow cast members, Sandler, Spade, Rock, Schneider, and so on. After he left in 1995 he went to pursue a movie career, where he did Tommy Boy and Black Sheep (with Spade, along with Beverly Hills Ninja and Almost Heroes, which were all funny to me. Chris died 8 days before Christmas in 1997, which was all shocking when I saw his biography. We miss you, Chris. We wish you were still here.
chris farley in SNL to movies hide show
he was on SNL (saturday night live) he was a motiveation speaker "living in a van down by the river" he was a dancer A funny one was him being the New York City mayor's son that was funny and the Chris farly show the slightly overwieght dancer lol GOOD he was in other movies like tommy boy he was funny and after his death funny to this day
Wow, He was amazing. Chris was one of my favorites. hide show
Just seeing his page makes me want to cry. It makes me think why would someone do such a thing. Chris Farley was real big (fame-wise) when it happened. He is missed dearly, and he was one of my comedy idols. Words cannot express how I felt about Chris and his funny self.
he died a man he was a main SNL actor leading him to bigger and better things he was in lots of films like tommy boy, blacksheep, and beverly hills ninja he died of weed and wiskey bottles before he died he wanted to make a movie called fatty arbuckle a dramatic role about an overweight man who was teased at childhood so he went to drugs and alchohol which was chris's life he was my hero and my favoraite comedian i even usually check out a biography of him called he died to young- chris farley i wish he was alive right now only chris can tell about his life hes my hero, thank you
I've always loved comedy and frequently watched SNL, and there was one character who always stood out: Chris Farley. He was an amazing guy who had so much potential and always made me laugh. I'll never forget him and the impact he had on my life. We love hide show
Where do I even begin about Chris Farley? I didn't know him personally, so it's hard for me to describe him to his full potential, but I'll do my best. He had that natural silly humor that could make anyone laugh, and the fact that he was a physical comedian made him that much easier to like. "Tommy Boy" was easily his best movie and I love how they portrayed him and David Spade. He was extremely talented and I still miss him to this day, wishing I could have gotten to know him before he passed away. We will forever miss you, Chris. I know you're still making people laugh.
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