[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Chris_Farley_7062.jpg]]
->''"Basically, I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes."''

Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 -- December 18, 1997) was an American comedian and actor famous for starring on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' from 1990 to 1995. He, Creator/AdamSandler, Creator/DavidSpade, Creator/ChrisRock and Creator/RobSchneider, were known as "the Bad Boys of SNL," known for bringing in a new era of raunchy, shocking humor to the show (which, at first, was refreshing, but soon plunged the show into SeasonalRot in the mid-1990s and was one of the reasons why critics in the early to mid-1990s trashed ''SNL'' for being juvenile and sophomoric).

Some of his most famous sketches included "The Chris Farley Show", where he'd nervously interview the guest hosts and/or musical guests, 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 [[WalkingShirtlessScene shirtless]] with guest host Creator/PatrickSwayze. His characters on ''SNL'' included Todd Connor of the Superfans, Bennett Brauer, one of the "Gap Girls" and, most notably, the homeless, clumsy motivational speaker Matt Foley[[note]]Named for one of Chris' college friends, who later became a Catholic priest[[/note]]. His celebrity impressions included Newt Gingrich, Music/MeatLoaf, Creator/RogerEbert, Hank Williams Jr., Tom Arnold, Lori Davis, John Madden, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf (notable because the first time he played Schwarzkopf was the last time Creator/DennisMiller was a Weekend Update anchor).

Farley appeared in a number of movies, which included ''Film/WaynesWorld'', ''Wayne's World 2'' ([[YouLookFamiliar as a different character]]), ''Film/{{Coneheads}}'', ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' and ''Film/BillyMadison''. After he left SNL, he would star in such films as ''Film/TommyBoy'' and ''Film/BlackSheep1996'', both of which starred him with Spade, ''Film/BeverlyHillsNinja'' and ''Film/AlmostHeroes''.

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, Creator/JohnBelushi, who Farley was said to have idolized. The autopsy revealed that Farley had severe heart disease and general atherosclerosis due to his long time poor diet and alcohol and drug abuse and the medical writer for [[http://apnews.com the Associated Press]] wrote that had Farley lived he would have required major by-pass surgery but given the poor general state of his heart and arteries, Farley would likely have died in surgery.

Farley's last film, ''Film/DirtyWork'', was released after his death, and also dedicated to him.

His brothers Tom, John, and Creator/{{Kevin|Farley}} continue to make cameo appearances in Creator/HappyMadisonProductions films. A documentary featuring several of his castmates, family members and close friends, ''I Am Chris Farley'', was released in 2015, while Adam Sandler released a tribute song for him, simply titled "Farley," in 2018.

[[https://consequence.net/2024/04/chris-farley-biopic-paul-walter-hauser/ In 2024, it was announced]] that Chris Farley would receive a biopic based on his brother Tom's biography, ''The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts'', starring Creator/PaulWalterHauser as Chris and directed by Creator/JoshGad, with the Farley family's blessing.
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!!Film credits:
* ''Film/WaynesWorld'' (1992) - Security Guard
** ''Waynes World 2'' (1993) - Milton
* ''Film/{{Coneheads}}'' (1993) - Ronnie Bradford
* ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' (1994) - Wilson
* ''Film/BillyMadison'' (1995) - Bus Driver
* ''Film/TommyBoy'' (1995) - Tommy Callahan
* ''Film/{{Black Sheep|1996}}'' (1996) - Mike Donnelly
* ''Film/BeverlyHillsNinja'' (1997) - Haru
* ''Film/AlmostHeroes'' (1998) - Bartholomew Hunt (posthumous release)
* ''Film/DirtyWork'' (1998) - Jimmy No-Nose (uncredited; posthumous release)

!!You're gonna be tropin'... in... a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!:
* {{Acrofatic}}: He was famous for being extremely agile and a superb physical comedian and gifted dancer despite his size, able to easily pull off complex dance moves and do perfect cartwheels, somersaults and even backflips as as well as doing many of his own stunts and martial arts moves in ''Film/BeverlyHillsNinja''. By his death, however, he had lost much of his physical prowess as his poor diet and drug addiction caught up with him.
* BigFun: Often played into his size for comedy. [[Film/TommyBoy "Fat guy in a little coat...!"]]
* CatchPhrase:
** His most famous one was Matt Foley's "I am 35 years old, I am thrice divorced, and I live in a VAN down by the RIVER!"
** Another from "The Chris Farley Show": "That was awesome, man."
* {{Corpsing}}: Farley was a master at causing his ''SNL'' castmates, especially his best friends Creator/DavidSpade and Creator/AdamSandler, to crack up during sketches. He would frequently catch everyone off guard by changing his line deliveries or character actions during the live performance or crossing his eyes whenever he knew the cameras and audience couldn't see it.
* CreatorBacklash: Farley left the Premiere of Beverly Hills Ninja in tears over the feeling that the movie was awful and that he was nothing more than "the fat guy who fell down".
%% * ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino: {{Trope Namer|s}}, in his last SNL appearance before his death.
* FaceFault: One of Farley's specialties. In an interview, Creator/NormMacdonald recalls how Chris Farley once demonstrated to other ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members how he could fall face-first onto the ground without involuntarily extending his arms to catch himself. None of the other cast members were able to mimic this feat.
* FanDisservice: His infamous "Chippendales" skit with Creator/PatrickSwayze. His fellow ''SNL'' cast members praised his confidence to appear shirtless on-camera looking the way he did.
* FatAndSkinny: Chris Farley and David Spade were often 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 sarcastic little man.
* HeAlsoDid: Starred in the music video for Music/RedHotChiliPeppers' "Soul To Squeeze" (off the soundtrack to ''Film/{{Coneheads}}'', which he also starred in) as a truck driver.
%% * IncomingHam: His legendary entrance onto David Letterman. It has to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z9kdqDwA80 seen to be believed.]]
%% * LargeHam[=/=]NoIndoorVoice: Many of his characters, to such a degree that it often made his castmates [[{{Corpsing}} break character]], with Matt Foley as the biggest offender.
%% * MinorInjuryOverreaction: One of his recurring shticks
* TheOtherMarty: He recorded most of his dialogue of ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' but died before he could complete his work and was replaced by Mike Myers.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: There are several roles that Farley would have done had he not died.
** Prior to his death, he was in talks to star in adaptations of ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'' and ''The Incomparable Atuk'', as well as a Creator/FattyArbuckle biopic. These three projects are alleged to be cursed, as Farley, Creator/JohnBelushi, and Creator/JohnCandy were all attached to star and died before production.
** One of the most well-known examples of this related to animation was his voicework for ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'', which (depending on which account tells it) had recorded anywhere from 85% to 95% of his lines before he passed. Dreamworks initially tried casting his soundalike brother, John, to do the remaining five days of voice work, but when he turned the offer down due to his grief (which he later regretted), the role was recast with Creator/MikeMyers. Meyers re-recorded all the dialogue and the film was reanimated, to the tune of $4 million, to match Myers' more outrageous style, but some fans have lobbied for Farley's original voicetrack -- some of which has leaked alongside early storyboards.
** He and Creator/DavidSpade would have starred in a third BuddyPicture titled ''Tree'', centering around a low-level White House employee meeting a quirky truck driver while searching the Pacific Northwest for the annual Christmas tree. However, Farley died shortly after they verbally agreed to it and the project was ultimately never made.
** There were talks for a film-adaptation of his Matt Foley character from ''SNL'' with Creator/DavidSpade in a supporting role.
** Farley was considered for Ishmael in ''Film/{{Kingpin}}'', but was unable to star in the film due to commitments to ''Film/BlackSheep1996''. The role would go to Creator/RandyQuaid.
** He was considered for the role of Mr. Krupp in a live-action adaptation of ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' movie, plans of which began before the first book was even published and were only scrapped when Farley died.
** He would have played Eric Lamonsoff in ''Film/GrownUps'', which was initially developed in the 90s. The role was ultimately recasted with Creator/KevinJames and released in 2010.
** Paul Walter Hauser (''Film/ITonya'', ''Film/RichardJewell'') [[https://twitter.com/paulwhauser/status/1384660267062075400?s=21 had discussions with Farley’s family]] about starring in a potential biopic on the man. However, the project didn’t materialize, and Hauser doesn’t expect to take the role in the future due to undergoing a weight loss regimen.
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