He Wanted To Be Like His Idol
It was easy for comedic actor Chris Farley to plan out his career. You see, very early in his life he’d decided who his role model was. The problem was that the celebrity he chose was a fellow comedian whose disastrous life choices had led to a tragic and early demise.
Sadly, Farley seemed destined to repeat every mistake his idol made.
1. He Was A Good Boy
Chris Farley was born on February 15, 1964, and grew up in the village of Maple Bluff, Wisconsin and attended parochial schools in nearby Madison. Farley was a good boy, who, according to one cast member at Second City, never missed a Mass.
But not everything was sunshine and roses during his childhood.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
2. They Teased Him
Because Farley was overweight while growing up, the other children at school mercilessly teased him. They called him names like “Fatso” and “Chubby”. The only good thing that came out of this is that Farley honed his comedy skills as a way to diffuse the name-calling.
He may have been overweight, but Farley excelled at sports.
3. He Was More Than Just Funny
While studying at Marquette University, Farley discovered a love of sport. Here he played the rather dangerous game of rugby where his large size was an asset. Farley eventually graduated from university with majors in both communications and theater.
After university, Farley didn’t exactly use what he learned.
4. He Worked A Real Job
Farley's father—Thomas John Farley Sr—had his own oil company. This was where Farley had his first job out of university, but he hadn’t forgotten about his love of performing. He dove into improvisational comedy at the Ark Improv Theater in Madison.
He didn't realize it yet, but Farley had found his calling—and the thing that would kill him.
Ron Galella, Ltd, Getty Images
5. He Found His Place
The obvious place for Farley to go was Chicago, the mecca of comedy performance. He started there at Improv Olympic, and then moved on to the Second City. Like many improvisers appearing on the Second City stage, Farley was waiting for something.
He was waiting for a certain someone to notice him.
6. He Went Live
Pretty much every single performer at Second City is hoping for Lorne Michaels to notice them. Michaels is the creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, and a tap on the shoulder from him had the ability to turn a nobody into the biggest comedy star in the world.
Well, in 1990, Michaels did notice Farley, and he was soon making the trip to be live in New York City.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
7. He Had A Special Character
One of Farley’s most popular characters on SNL was Matt Foley: a motivational speaker who, unlike typical motivational speakers, was bumbling, caustic and frequently broke. In the inaugural sketch, Farley is trying to motivate two teens, played by David Spade and Christina Applegate, into “getting back on the right track”.
Spade and Applegate had no idea what they were in for.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
8. It Was A Complete Surprise
Spade and Applegate were on live TV facing an animated and sweaty Farley when he did something that REALLY surprised them: He dove through the air onto the coffee table in front of them. Spade and Applegate’s reactions are quite authentic, as neither had any idea that this was part of the sketch—and the audience went wild.
Matt Foley was out of the box—and Chris Farley was ready for the spotlight.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
9. He Changed The Name
Farley's iconic motivational speaker character didn't originally have a specific name. He'd usually just make one up on the spot. One day, his friend Matt Foley came to see the show. Farley went with his name that day—and it just stuck.
The real Matt Foley played rugby with Farley back in university, and was at the time of the sketch a Catholic priest. Farley's Matt Foley was so popular that Farley got an unusual request.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
10. He Helped The Team
In 1994, the Wisconsin Badgers were in the Rose Bowl, and they asked Farley to perform an inspirational speech to the team at a banquet. Farley said yes, and the team went on to win the Rose Bowl that year. Farley—as Foley—seemed to have unlimited energy.
Well, that's because he was hiding a secret.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
11. He Was An Addict
Farley’s motivational speaker had a not-so-well-kept secret. He was a caffeine addict who often talked about drinking espresso and even taking NoDoz caffeine tablets. In one hilarious sketch, he goes so far as to take a huge container of coffee when he goes to teach a spinning class.
The thing was, this wasn’t far from Farley’s reality. But the real version wasn't so funny...
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
12. He Took A Lesson
While still working on SNL, Farley appeared in Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison. Here, Farley was playing a hyper bus driver, and apparently drank six espresso shots right before filming the scene. But Farley was more than just the coffee-loving Matt Foley—he was a whole handful of characters.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
13. He Had A Repertoire
One thing that Farley liked to do on SNL was impressions. He did hilarious impersonations of film critic Roger Ebert, singer Mama Cass and even Mindy Cohn from The Facts of Life. But one impression he did would later come back to haunt him.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
14. It Was Awkward
When Farley was working on the SNL-themed film Coneheads, he came face to face with one of his better impressions. This was Tom Arnold, and it may have been just a little awkward to meet up with the man he’d parodied so viciously.
15. He Had A Manic Schedule
Next, Farley received an offer to appear in a film with his buddy David Spade. But this wasn't a cushy, Hollywood gig. It was a hectic pace, as both Farley and Spade had to rehearse and perform Saturday Night Live each week—and at the same time commute to Toronto to make Tommy Boy.
Eventually, the stress of this schedule made Farley act out in a surprising way.
16. They Were Too Close
Farley and Spade were good friends, but maybe a little too close. One night in Toronto, Spade went out with actor Rob Lowe without Farley because Farley said he was sick. When Farley found out about Spade and Lowe, he had an over-the-top reaction.
17. He Repeated The Same Line
The next day on set, an angry Farley wouldn’t say much to Spade. He just repeatedly asked him over and over "How Rob Lowe was". Even though he had been the one who decided to stay in!
Jealousy had taken over Farley’s mental capacity, and he eventually went one step too far. And we mean that literally.
18. He Stepped On Him
Farley could no longer deal with the thought of Spade and Lowe being close friends, so he walked angrily over to Spade, who was sitting on the ground eating a sandwich. Farley stomped directly on Spade’s hand, squishing his sandwich in the process.
Spade was not about to take this sitting down.
19. They Had A Brawl
Spade’s reaction to being stepped on was to throw his can of Coke at Farley. What followed was an out and out brawl, and Spade ended up at the bottom of some stairs. The truth was, there was a good reason why it should have been Farley—not Spade—who was getting chummy with Lowe.
20. He Had Good Chemistry
When Lorne Michaels heard the pitch for Tommy Boy, the stars attached to it were Farley and...Rob Lowe. But Michaels had witnessed the chemistry between Farley and Spade and thought they were the better match. And Lorne Michaels knows a thing or two about comedy...
21. They Couldn’t Work Together
After the brawl between Farley and Spade, the two stormed off to their trailers. Later, Farley—to diffuse his anger—tackled the film's assistant director. This wasn’t the only spat between Farley and Spade, but thankfully, all of them ended in the same way: In a peaceful reconciliation.
There was a good reason why Farley was on edge.
22. He Was Sober
One of the things that may have made Farley a little emotional was that he was abstaining from any substance use while filming Tommy Boy. Well, not all substances. Like his character Matt Foley, Farley was drinking copious amounts of coffee. Some say he drank up to 27 cappuccinos a day.
23. He Did It Himself
Even though Farley had a crazy schedule while filming Tommy Boy, he refused to let a professional stunt man do his stunts. So yes, that really was Farley who face-planted at the fraternity party. And, ever surprisingly spry for his size, Farley apparently got up right after with no injury.
But there was somewhere else Farley also could have used a replacement.
24. He Was Hopelessly Shy
In Tommy Boy, Julie Warner plays Farley’s love interest, and she soon realized that Farley was acting shy around her. At first, she thought he was doing a gag. When it didn't stop, Warner figured out what the problem was and took it head-on.
25. He Couldn’t Talk
Warner figured out that Farley might have had a little crush on her. Warner knew they had to work together, so she grabbed Farley and dragged him into her trailer, telling him they were staying in there "until he could have a real conversation with her".
Apparently, she didn't let him leave for four hours.
26. He Poked Himself
One stunt that proved difficult for Farley was crying. There’s a scene in Tommy Boy where Farley and Warner are in a boat, and the script calls for Farley to cry. To make this happen, Farley started to poke himself in the eye with his finger. This seemed to work, and the director was just happy that Farley could cry.
And then it all went horribly wrong.
27. He Had To Repeat
Before Farley left the set for the day, the director found out that someone in the lab had destroyed the footage of Farley crying. They didn’t want to make Farley do it the same day, but they had no choice. The lake they’d been on was going to freeze the next day. Farley had to start poking his eye all over again.
28. He Didn’t Like To Hear “No”
Tommy Boy ended up being a huge—and unexpected— hit. Farley now had his pick of scripts for his next film. One thing he knew he wanted for his next project was the same director as Tommy Boy, Peter Segal. But Farley didn't consider one thing: Segal said no every time he asked.
He said it was because none of the scripts were any good—but Farley took this the wrong way and sparks flew.
29. He Had Hurt Feelings
Farley, who was a big softie at heart, thought that Segal was declining his offer because the director no longer liked him. The only way Segal could convince him otherwise was by writing a seven-page letter where he told Farley that he still liked him.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
30. He Found Some Bad Friends
While working on SNL, Farley had found some like-minded people. These included Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and Tim Meadows. This group worked together and often was up to no good. They were so bad that they received a special name.
31. They Got A Nickname
Farley and his buddies at Saturday Night Live worked together at making people laugh, but there was something quite nasty about them. They soon got a reputation and nickname. They called them the Bad Boys of SNL. As it turned out, this name came from some crazy behind-the-scenes antics.
32. He Was Bad
The reasons that Farley and his bad boy buddies on SNL got the nickname are legion. Farley and Sandler started doing prank calls in the middle of the night from Rockefeller Center. Also, Farley sometimes mooned other cars from a limo. One time, he went a disgusting step further.
33. He Went To Far
It wasn’t just out of a limo that Farley hung his bare backside. On one occasion, he pushed his bare bum out a window way up high at Rockefeller Center. But that wasn't shocking enough, I guess. He then decided to use the window as a toilet. Yuch! But this wasn’t the first time Farley had trouble with a window in a high place.
34. He Charged At Her
One time Farley was partying with a female friend in a 15th-floor hotel room. The woman became concerned that Farley was drinking too much and suggested that he stop. Farley charged at the woman in anger. The good news was that he didn’t hit the woman.
The bad news was that he almost ended his life.
Ron Galella, Ltd, Getty Images
35. He Broke The Window
Instead of hitting the woman he was drinking with, Farley bashed into the window—with the 15 floor drop below it. Thankfully, Farley only broke a small pane of the window and didn’t fall 15 stories. But he certainly didn’t come out of this incident unscathed.
36. He Went To The Hospital
Farley ended up in the ER with a gash from his wrist to his elbow. The party animal comedian was still inebriated, but the wound seemed brutal enough that the folks at the hospital gave him painkillers anyway. This combination gruesomly led Farley to pick at his exposed bone. It also began a lifelong struggle with painkillers.
It was stunts like these that eventually led to Farley getting into a heap of trouble.
37. He Got The Boot
In 1995, despite their fame, the brass at NBC had had enough of both Farley and Adam Sandler. All their hijinks off the set gave the studio no choice but to lay both of them off. NBC tried to make it sound nice, but Sandler later told Conan O’Brien that NBC had heartlessly fired them.
Now, Farley had to find a way to survive without SNL.
38. He Was In Demand
Farley and SNL had parted ways, but Farley—thanks to Tommy Boy—was still in demand for feature films. In fact, Paramount already had Farley locked into making Black Sheep with Spade. But Farley wasn't going to make things easy for them. He had his sights set on another script he wanted to do.
It was with rival Columbia Pictures, and it was called The Cable Guy.
39. There Was Something Missing
Farley had a good reason to want to bail on Paramount. Even though the studio was insisting that Farley appear in Black Sheep, the truth was they didn’t even have a script. They were desperately trying to get it written before Farley could legally get out of his contract.
That’s when someone came out of left field to throw a monkey wrench into Farley’s plan.
40. He Lost Out To The King
Somehow, Jim Carrey heard about the script for The Cable Guy and expressed interest. Chris Farley was a big deal—but Jim Carrey was Jim Carrey. Farley didn't stand a chance, and the role went to Carrey.
And as salt in the wound, Carrey got himself a $20 million paycheck while Farley was stuck with Spade, Paramount, and less than $1 million.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
41. He Had A Request
Another issue for Farley and Black Sheep was the director. David Spade said that they’d wanted Tommy Boy director Peter Segal to direct. Well, remember how Segal had written a long letter assuring Farley that he liked him? Well, what happened next suggests that wasn’t totally the truth.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
42. He Got Declined
Segal did indeed get an invitation to direct Farley and Spade in Black Sheep, but he once again, he said no. His excuse was that directing the two in Tommy Boy had been too exhausting. And when they did find a director, that only created new problems.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
43. He Was The Funnier One
The person who got the job directing Black Sheep seemed like a slam dunk: It was Wayne’s World director Penelope Spheeris. But tempers flared immediately. Spade quickly complained that Farley was getting more time on screen than he was. It was true, and the reason was very simple: Spheeris thought that Farley was much funnier than Spade.
If Spade thought he could turn to Farley for support, he got that totally wrong.
Paramount, Wayne's World (1992)
44. He Threw Him Under The Bus
Spade was trying his darndest to get Spheeris to give him more scenes with Farley. But when he went to Farley for support, his buddy threw him under the bus. Farley had suddenly come to a realization—and it wasn’t going to help Spade at all.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
45. He Wanted To Be Dramatic
Right in the middle of filming Black Sheep, Farley decided he wanted to go dramatic. He was actually hoping for even fewer scenes with Spade, and more serious scenes with Tim Matheson. Spade likely couldn’t believe his ears. And then Farley went one cold-hearted step further.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
46. He Wanted Him Out
Spade was basically begging Farley to convince the director to give him more screen time in Black Sheep. That’s when Farley made a friendship-ending offer. He wanted to pay Spade not to be in the movie. But there was something else besides the director coming between Farley and Spade.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
47. He Met A Girl
Back when they were filming Tommy Boy, Spade had started a friendship with Lorri Bagley, who had famously appeared as a skinny dipper in the film. Spade had a thing for Bagely, and then made the mistake of introducing her to Farley. He didn't realize what a mess he was making.
48. He Found Out The Truth
Farley and Bagely hit it off and started a relationship. The thing was, Farley didn’t want Spade to know, so the two kept their relationship a secret from Spade. Through an accident, Spade found out the truth—and it hurt.
But it wasn’t just Spade who got hurt on this film.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
49. He Gave It Everything
Even though Farley didn’t really want to be in Black Sheep, he gave it everything he had. This meant once again eschewing the use of a stunt double. So yes, that means it really was Farley rolling down that hill. Ouch!
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
50. He Kept It In The Family
The security guards that stood behind Farley in one scene of Black Sheep may have looked not only familiar, but also alike. That’s because the actors playing them were actually Farley’s real-life brothers Kevin and John. Farley was keeping his brothers close—and one of them even came in handy.
51. He Needed To Cry
Once again, Farley was in a scene where he needed to cry. Instead of poking his eye, he turned to his brother for help. He told his brother John to make him cry. What John said went a little too far.
52. He Believed Him
To make his brother cry, John Farley made up a story about their father being alone because all his sons had moved on and forgotten about him. The story made Farley cry just like he wanted—but it didn’t stop Farley from being mad at his brother.
53. He Broke It
Black Sheep certainly wasn't the hit that Tommy Boy was, and Farley took it badly. After the preview screening of the film, Farley did something he hadn’t done in six months. He had a drink. One drink led to another, and soon, Farley was back in rehab.
54. He Wanted A Friend Nearby
Next up for Farley was Beverly Hills Ninja. This time around, Farley was hesitant to sign on, so he had one rather large demand. He wanted his SNL buddy Chris Rock to appear in the film. Farley and Rock went way back and had actually started on SNL on the same day. Farley got his way and, unlike with Spade, had his best days on set with Rock there.
Sadly, not even a friend like Rock could keep Farley sober during this film.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
55. He Looked Bad
Just like after Black Sheep, Farley relapsed into drug use after finishing Beverly Hills Ninja. When he came back to do reshoots for the film, he looked horrible. The crew had a hard time making this Farley look like the same Farley who they'd filmed just a few months before.
3 Arts Entertainment, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
56. It Was Not A Good Way To Go
In 1998, Farley appeared opposite Friends star Matthew Perry in Almost Heroes. Like Perry, Farley’s time on earth was ticking away. Sadly, this last lead role did not end up being the best way to remember Farley. Most critics disliked it, with many saying Farley deserved better for his last starring role.
But life doesn't work like that.
Dinovi Pictures, Almost Heroes (1998)
57. It Was Written For Him
When SNL alumni Norm MacDonald wrote his feature film Dirty Jobs, he had his cast even before he wrote the characters. Before sitting down at the typewriter, he knew that Farley would appear in his movie. Sadly, he had no idea this cameo role would be Farley’s last.
58. He Was The Original
It's hard not to imagine the countless Chris Farley performances we were robbed of—but few people realize he was supposed to be one of the biggest characters of the 21st century: Shrek! Farley was originally supposed to play the ogre, and Donkey was supposed to be his Spade.
Farley even started working on the movie, but he had to keep an eye over his shoulder while he was doing it—because he was being followed.
59. They Followed Him
The makers of Shrek were so worried about Farley’s addiction issues that they had someone follow him to make sure he didn’t fall off the wagon. Sadly, Farley didn’t live to finish the film, and Mike Meyers had to step in.
60. They Questioned His Ability
Even though NBC had given Farley the axe from Saturday Night Live, they still wanted him as a host. This happened on October 25, 1997, and the cold open joked about Farley’s ability to be a good host. In the sketch, Tim Meadows assures everyone that Farley's “party days are over”.
Sadly, that wasn’t quite true.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
61. He Fell Off The Wagon
In early December 1997, Farley was clean and even attended mass. On the 14th, however, he started partying. He ended up in his apartment with a woman whose company he’d paid for. The woman stole his watch, heartlessly took pictures of the very inebriated Farley, and ignored the last three words he said to her: "Don't leave me".
She did leave—and she was the last one to see him alive.
62. His Brother Found Him
Just two months after his appearance on SNL, Farley passed. It was his brother who found him in his apartment, and drug use was one of the causes cited. This was a huge shock to his fans and to the SNL community. Many alumni of SNL came to the funeral, but there was one glaring omission.
63. He Was Missing
Many big names in comedy attended Farley’s funeral including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Phil Hartman. Conspicuous by his absence was best bud, David Spade. Some speculated this was due to a falling out between the friends, but Spade later said that it would have been too hard to attend.
64. He Was A Doppelganger
Many people have noticed a similarity between the lives of Farley and John Belushi. Belushi was also an SNL bad boy and also had an early demise—at the same age as Farley and also with a woman present. The similarity between the two was so acute that Belushi’s friend Bill Murray hated Farley.
He said that the resemblance was too much.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
65. He Saw The End
Back when he was filming Black Sheep, Farley made a statement that has a chilling ring to it now. He told director Penelope Spheeris that he idolized John Belushi. In fact, he felt it so strongly that he said he wanted his life to end the same way Belushi’s had.
66. He Was Following Belushi
There was something very dark about Farley’s connection to Belushi. Farley knew that Belushi had had a drug issue and that he was a user because he thought it made him funnier. Farley said that it was for this reason that he got into drug use. He was just following his idol.
67. He Tried
Farley had tried many times to deal with the many addictions in his life. In his final two years of life, he’d tried 17 various treatments but none of them took. These treatments included rehab for drug issues, weight loss centers for food and AA for his drinking.
There was a shocking reason why these efforts always failed.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
68. He Had A Belief
Farley had a deep-seated belief that he had to be overweight and manic to be funny. For these reasons his effort to improve his life always failed. At the base of it all was his fear that his movies wouldn’t be hits. Well, critics weren’t always his friends.
NBC, Saturday Night Live 1975-
69. He Wasn’t A Fan
Film critic Gene Siskel was no fan of Farley. For him, the comparison to John Belushi was not correct. He said that Farley was no John Belushi—or even John Candy for that matter. Siskel went on to call him a terrible actor. Black Sheep was one of only a few movies that Siskel had walked out of.
70. They Didn’t Want To Hear It
Since Almost Heroes was Farley’s last film, his friends and fans had a request. They didn’t want Siskel to review it. It was almost certain that his comments would be negative, and Farley’s fans couldn’t face that as they grieved the passing of their friend.
