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"Basically, I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes." |
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Chris Farley (February 15, 1964 — December 18, 1997) was an American comedian and actor famous for starring on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995. He, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock and Rob Schneider, were known as "the Bad Boys of SNL".
Some of his most famous sketches included "The Chris Farley Show", where he'd nervously interview the guest hosts, the "Zagat's Guide" sketches in which he and Sandler played wife and husband respectively, the "Coffee Commercial" sketch in which he plays a short-tempered customer, and the "Chippendales" sketch in which he danced off with guest host Patrick Swayze. His characters on SNL included Todd Connor of the Superfans, Bennett Brauer, one of the "Gap Girls" and, most notably, motivational speaker Matt Foley. His celebrity impressions included Newt Gingrich, Meat Loaf, Roger Ebert, Hank Williams Jr. and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
Farley appeared in a number of movies, which included Wayne's World, Wayne's World 2 (as a different character), Coneheads, Airheads and Billy Madison. After he left SNL, he would star in such films as Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, both of which starred him with Spade, Beverly Hills Ninja and Almost Heroes.
Sadly, he suffered from drug addictions and obesity throughout his career. He died tragically of a drug overdose in 1997 at age 33, eerily the same age and under similar circumstances as another SNL alum, John Belushi, who Farley was said to have idolized.
Farley's last film, Dirty Work, was released after his death, and also dedicated to him.
- Acrofatic: Despite his size, he was incredibly athletic, having previously played football in high school and rugby in college.
- Catch Phrase: His most famous one was Matt Foley's "I live in a van down by the river!"
- "El Niño" Is Spanish for "The Nino": Trope Namer, in his last SNL appearance before his death.
- Fat and Skinny: Chris Farley and David Spade were ofen praised for their great comedic chemistry with each other in their films and SNL skits. It was common for Chris Farley to play a clumsy, but lovable idiot while David Spade would play a snarky and sarcistic little man.
- Large Ham/No Indoor Voice: Many of his characters, to such a degree that it often made his castmates break character.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: One of his recurring shticks.
- What Could Have Been: Farley was originally cast as Shrek, and recorded some dialogue before his death. The role was recast with his SNL co-star Mike Myers.
- Farley was planning on making a movie about silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.
- He and David Spade were planning on making a movie with his Matt Foley character.
- The role of Chip in The Cable Guy was originally written with him in mind. When he declined due to schedule conflicts, the role was given to Jim Carrey instead.