Chris Farley’s Comedy Hero: The Bloke Who Left Him Speechless

Next year, a local version of Saturday Night Live is set to hit UK screens for the first time, not just a replay of the New York original. The show’s been a launchpad for heaps of comedy legends, though not all got to show what they were really capable of. John Belushi is the obvious one, but Chris Farley’s another name that stands out. Farley never quite became a household name in Britain, mostly because the show wasn’t broadcast here, so punters missed out on his wild, larger-than-life antics. He was a bit of a forerunner to Jack Black, with that same manic energy, and some saw him as the next John Candy after Candy passed away near the end of Farley’s five-year stint at 30 Rock.

Farley was known for throwing himself into every sketch, literally. He’d dance, strip off, and generally keep everyone guessing, which the live crowd loved. He was part of a cast that included future stars like Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. Off camera, Farley and Sandler were notorious for their pranks, with Farley often getting his kit off and taking the mickey out of everyone with his impressions, including a pretty unsettling take on the killer from The Silence of the Lambs. But, like a few before him—Belushi included—Farley’s wild on-stage persona masked some serious struggles. He started battling booze and drugs in his mid-twenties and never really shook it.

Comedy Legends and Unlikely Mates

Another big name from the show Farley looked up to was Chevy Chase. Chase was one of the original cast, the first bloke to host ‘Weekend Update’, and one of the first to leave and make it big in films, especially in the ‘80s with the National Lampoon and Fletch flicks. Fred Wolf, who wrote for the show, remembered,

“I was in such awe of Chevy, and I know Farley was too. Chevy was very nice to Farley, and Farley would sort of sit at his feet and listen to him talk – because Farley was physical, Chevy was physical, and Chevy was telling Farley that he was worried about him throwing out his back or getting into the same problems that Chevy got into because of his physicality. Chevy would talk to Farley and be very nice to him. And Farley just loved it.”

Farley eventually made the jump to the big screen, just like his idol. He popped up in both Wayne’s World films in small roles, but his big break came with Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, both with his mate David Spade. The films did well at the box office, but instead of making life easier, things got rougher for Farley. By 1995, his addiction issues had got so bad he was let go from the show.

Physical Comedy’s Price

Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, spoke about how much Farley admired Chase and how far he’d go for a laugh.

“As a kid, Chris had taped his eyebrow up to try and look like Belushi. We often said Chris was the child John and Danny (Aykroyd) never had but would have had if they’d had a child. Chevy came to see Chris once, and Chris was doing his falls, and Chevy said, ‘Don’t you use anything to break your fall?’ Chris said, ‘What do you mean? Did you?’ Chris had welts all over his chest. He just assumed that that was the price you paid for doing it.”

By 1997, Farley’s health was clearly on the decline. He’d landed the lead voice role in the upcoming animated film Shrek, but before he could finish the job, he died from a heroin and cocaine overdose. Mike Myers ended up taking over the part. Farley was just 33, the same age as Belushi when he passed away from an overdose as well.