Chris Farley

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Chris Farley

Born Christopher Crosby Farley
February 15, 1964(1964-02-15)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died December 18, 1997 (aged 33)
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation Actor, Comedian
Years active 1990-1998

Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre[1] and later went on to join the cast of the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. He starred in a string of successful comedic films in the 1990s before his death of a drug overdose in late 1997.

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[edit] Early life

Farley was born in Madison, Wisconsin. His family consists of three brothers (Tom Farley, Jr., and actors Kevin and John), his sister, Barbara, and his parents, Mary Anne, a homemaker, and Thomas, Sr., who owned an oil company.[2][3] Jim Farley, group vice president for marketing and communication at Ford Motor Company, is his cousin.[4]

Farley graduated from Edgewood High School. He also attended La Lumiere School in Indiana for one semester in his junior year, after a brief suspension for misbehavior.[citation needed] He then went on to graduate from Marquette University in 1986 with a concentration in communications and theatre.[5] Many of his summers were spent as a camper and as a counselor at Red Arrow Camp, outside of Minocqua, Wisconsin. After Marquette, he worked with his father at the Scotch Oil Company in Madison.[6] Farley got his start in professional comedy at the Ark Improv Theatre in Madison and the Improv Olympic theater in Chicago. He then went on to perform at Chicago's Second City Theatre. He was initially part of Second City's touring group, but was eventually promoted to their main stage. While working at Second City, he was discovered by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels.[7]

[edit] Career

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Farley was one of two new SNL (Saturday Night Live) cast members announced in the spring of 1990, the other being Chris Rock.[3][7] On the show, Farley frequently collaborated with fellow cast members David Spade, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and Rob Schneider, among others. This group came to be known as the "Bad Boys of SNL."[8] Popular characters performed by Farley included himself on "The Chris Farley Show" (a talk show in which Farley would often "interview" the host and get very nervous and ask very simple-minded or irrelevant questions), an over-the-top motivational speaker named Matt Foley (who constantly reminded characters that he lived in "a van down by the river")[9], Todd O'Connor of Bill Swerski's Superfans (a group of stereotypical Chicagoans who constantly yell out "da Bears!")[10], a Chippendale's dancer (in a famous skit that paired him with guest host Patrick Swayze)[11], one of the "Gap Girls" (who hung out together at a local mall), a stereotypical lunch lady (to the theme of Lunchlady Land performed by Adam Sandler)[12] and Bennett Brauer (a Weekend Update commentator who would often divulge his personal and hygienic problems via air quotes). Some of these characters were brought to SNL from his days at Second City. Farley also performed impersonations of Tom Arnold, (who gave the eulogy at his funeral), Andrew Giuliani, Jerry Garcia, Meat Loaf, Norman Schwarzkopf, Roger Ebert, Carnie Wilson, and Newt Gingrich.[13]

Off-screen, Farley was well-known for his pranks in the offices of Saturday Night Live. A March 13, 1995, New York magazine article references Farley and Adam Sandler making late-night prank phone calls from the SNL offices in Rockefeller Center, with Sandler speaking in an old woman's voice and Farley then farting into the phone, as well as Farley mooning cars from a limousine.[14][15]

[edit] Film career

Farley started his film career making cameo appearances in several comedy films, including Wayne's World in 1992, Coneheads in 1993, Wayne's World 2 in 1993, Airheads in 1994 and Adam Sandler's Billy Madison in 1995.

After Farley and most of his fellow cast members were released from their contracts at Saturday Night Live following the 1994-1995 season, Farley focused on his film career. His first two major films co-starred fellow SNL cast member and close friend David Spade. Together, the duo made the films Tommy Boy and Black Sheep in consecutive years 1995 and 1996. These two films were successes at the domestic box office, earning around $32 million each and gaining a large cult following on home video.[16][17] These films established Farley as a relatively bankable star and he was given the sole leading role in 1997's Beverly Hills Ninja, which finished in first place at the box office on its opening weekend.[18] However, drug and alcohol problems began interfering with his work and production of his final film, Almost Heroes, was held up several times so Farley could attend rehab.[19] After his sudden death in December 1997, his last completed films, Almost Heroes and Dirty Work, were released posthumously.

[edit] Unfinished projects

Farley had recorded vocals for the title character in the Dreamworks film Shrek, but his death necessitated that the role be recast. He was replaced by his former SNL castmate Mike Myers.[20]

[edit] Death

In early 1997, a decline in Farley's health was frequently noted in the press. Following his guest appearance on SNL for the last time on October 25, 1997,[21] his hoarse voice and apparent perspiration were the subject of public scrutiny.[22][23] In the years before his death, Farley had attempted to seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse on seventeen separate occasions, as well as numerous visits to weight reduction treatment centers.[24]

On December 18, 1997, his younger brother John found Farley dead in his apartment on the sixtieth floor of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. He was 33 years old, coincidentally the same age Farley's idol John Belushi was when he died.[25] An autopsy later revealed that Farley had overdosed on a combination of cocaine and morphine[26] with atherosclerosis cited as a "significant contributing factor" in his death.[19]

[edit] Funeral

Farley's funeral was held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 23, 1997. He was buried in Resurrection Cemetery, also located in Madison, Wisconsin. Over five hundred people attended his funeral, and many of these were actors who worked with Farley in the past such as Adam Sandler, Lorne Michaels, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, George Wendt, Norm Macdonald, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and his wife.[27] Attending their friend's funeral proved to be unbearable for some; most notably absent was his former SNL castmate and frequent film co-star David Spade. Spade was later quoted as saying that he did not attend Farley's funeral because he "could not be in a room where Chris was in a box."[13] However, Spade did appear on the special 25th Anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live to call for a moment of remembrance for Farley.

[edit] Honors

Farley has been memorialized in many different ways. On August 26, 2005, Farley was awarded the 2,289th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located in front of Improv Olympic West.[28] In Adam Sandler's 2000 film Little Nicky, Little Nicky's mother, an angel played by Reese Witherspoon, is mentioned at the end of the film to be dating her new fitness instructor in Heaven, who turns out to be Chris Farley.

In his book Gasping for Airtime, former castmember Jay Mohr recalled a surreal moment involving Farley and fellow castmember Phil Hartman. In the SNL cast's goodbye song-and-dance performance to Hartman, the final scene featured Farley (in his Matt Foley costume) and Hartman embracing each other as the latter sang "Goodbye" to the camera.[29] They died within six months of each other. This can be seen on the "Best of Chris Farley" SNL special.

On May 6, 2008, the authorized biography of Chris Farley was published. The book, titled The Chris Farley Show (Viking Press), was written by Farley's' brother Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby.[30]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
1990-1995 Saturday Night Live Various characters TV, 100 episodes
1992 Wayne's World Security guard
The Jackie Thomas Show Chris Thomas TV, 1 episode
1993 Roseanne Man in Clothing Store TV, 1 episode
Coneheads Ronnie the Mechanic
Wayne's World 2 Milton
1994 Tom Chris TV, 1 episode
Airheads Officer Wilson
1995 Billy Madison Bus Driver Uncredited
Tommy Boy Thomas "Tommy" Callahan III
1996 Black Sheep Mike Donnelly
1997 All That The Chicago Ketchup Chef TV, 1 episode
Beverly Hills Ninja Haru
1998 Almost Heroes Bartholomew Hunt Released posthumously
Dirty Work Jimmy Uncredited, released posthumously

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Film or series
1996 Nominated MTV Movie Awards Best Comedic Performance Tommy Boy
Won MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Duo Tommy Boy (Shared with David Spade)
1997 Nominated MTV Movie Awards Best Comedic Performance Beverly Hills Ninja

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Second City: Chicago Alumni
  2. ^ Chris Farley Biography (1964-1997). filmreference.com.
  3. ^ a b Chris Farley Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  4. ^ Vlasic, Bill. "A Star at Toyota, a Believer at Ford", New York Times, 2008-04-20, pp. 4. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  5. ^ Marquette University - Famous Faces
  6. ^ The Biography Channel - Chris Farley Biography
  7. ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society
  8. ^ The Loser Boys of Saturday Night Live (1998)(TV)
  9. ^ Anderson, Sam. "Dada’s Boy", New York, 2008-05-16. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  10. ^ New Exhibit: Chris Farley Remembered. wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  11. ^ Goldblatt, Henry. 'Chris Farley Show' stuffed with gossip. CNN.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  12. ^ Crawford, Bill (2000). Adam Sandler: America's Comedian. Macmillan, 75. ISBN 0-312-26282-5. 
  13. ^ a b Chris Farley's Black Sheep Jacket. wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  14. ^ Smith, Chris. "Comedy Isn’t Funny", New York, 1995-03-15, pp. 7. Retrieved on 2008-06-08. 
  15. ^ Smith, Chris. "Comedy Isn’t Funny", New York, 1995-03-15, pp. 8. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  16. ^ Box Office Mojo data for Black Sheep
  17. ^ Box Office Mojo data for Tommy Boy
  18. ^ Box Office Mojo data for Beverly Hills Ninja
  19. ^ a b Tucker, Reed. "That Was Awesome!", New York Post, 2007-12-16. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  20. ^ Jim Hill: How "Shrek" went from being a train wreck to one for the record books
  21. ^ Chris Farley/The Mighty Mighty Bosstones episode reviews. saturday-night-live.com.
  22. ^ Saturday Night Live Transcripts. snltranscripts.jt.org.
  23. ^ Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2003). Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Back Bay, 492, 493. ISBN 0-316-73565-5. 
  24. ^ Nashawaty, Chris. The Last Temptation of Chris. ew.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  25. ^ Petrikin, Chris. "Comic Farley dies", Variety, 1997-12-19. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  26. ^ "Chris Farley's Death Laid to Drug Overdose", New York Times, 1998-01-03. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  27. ^ Athens Daily News - Fellow comedians weep for Chris Farley
  28. ^ Breitbart.com - Chris Farley Gets Posthumous Star
  29. ^ Mohr, Jay (2004). Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live. Hyperion, 292, 293. ISBN 1-401-30006-5. 
  30. ^ The Chris Farley Show. thechrisfarleyshow.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Farley, Chris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Farley, Christopher Crosby
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor, comedian
DATE OF BIRTH February 15, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Madison, Wisconsin, United States
DATE OF DEATH December 18, 1997
PLACE OF DEATH Chicago, Illinois, United States