Actors - Chris Farley

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	Actors - Chris Farley

Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American actor and comedian (born in Madison, Wisconsin) . He was best known as one of the cast members of the popular Saturday Night Live
television series, who went on to enjoy success in sophomoric movies in the mid 1990s.

Saturday Night Live

While on SNL, he frequently collaborated with fellow cast members David Spade, and Adam Sandler, among others. Popular characters performed by Farley, some of which were brought to SNL from his days as a Second City performer in Chicago, included an over-the-top motivational speaker named Matt Foley (who constantly reminded characters that he lived in "a van down by the river"), Todd O Connor on Bill Swerski's Super fans, a Chippendales dancer (in a famous skit that paired him with guest host Patrick Swayze), a "Gap Girl" who hung out with friends at a local mall, and Bennett Brauer, who often appeared on Weekend Update and would often divulge his personal and hygienic problems via air quotes. As far as impersonations went, Farley was known mainly for his portrayal of Tom Arnold (who gave the eulogy at his funeral) and Newt Gingrich, who invited Farley down to Washington, DC

Films

Farley also made appearances in films, such as Wayne's World
in 1991, Airheads
in 1993, Coneheads in 1993, Wayne's World 2
in 1993, and Adam Sandler's Billy Madison
in 1995.

After being released from his contract at Saturday Night Live
after its dismal 1994-1995 season, Farley found great success with the 1995 film Tommy Boy
(in which he co-starred with frequent SNL cohort David Spade). He and Spade re-teamed in 1996 with Black Sheep, which met with limited appeal. However, by now he had managed to classify himself as a bonafide Hollywood celebrity, and went on to star in Beverly Hills Ninja
in 1997 and Almost Heroes
with Matthew Perry in 1998, which become the last movie he worked on. He also had a cameo role in fellow SNL alum Norm MacDonald's Dirty Work in 1998, which was released well after Farley's death. He was popular with young audiences not only as a physical comedian but also as a comic actor, but few critics warmed to him.

At the end of his 2000 feature Little Nicky, producer Adam Sandler insinuated that the film's Heaven-residing angel character, played by Reese Witherspoon, began a romantic relationship with her aerobic instructor: Chris Farley.

Farley's last years

Farley, who had struggled with obesity, alcohol, and drug addiction for years, was found dead in his Chicago apartment in the John Hancock Center on December 18, 1997. An autopsy revealed that Farley had died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin (from a speedball) with coronary arteriosclerosis being a contributing factor. By the time of his last SNL appearance, as a guest host on October 25, 1997 , he was evidently in trouble — his voice was unbearably hoarse, he looked bloated, sweated profusely, and was grossly overweight. A tabloid reported that Farley had been drinking heavily during the week of rehearsals and needed an oxygen tank. Reportedly on the set of Almost Heroes
, he required almost constant hands-on caretaking.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Chris Farley ]

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Actors - Chris Farley

Saturday Night Live

Films

Farley's last years

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