Matt Foley

Matt Foley is a fictional character from the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live performed by Chris Farley. Foley is a motivational speaker who exhibits characteristics that someone in that position would not typically have: whereas motivational speakers are typically successful and charismatic, Foley is abrasive, clumsy, and down on his luck. The character was popular in its original run and went on to become one of Farley's best-known characters.

History

The character's concept was first created by Bob Odenkirk. Farley had performed the character in other comedy groups before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live. Farley named the character after one of his Marquette University rugby union teammates, who is now a Catholic priest in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.

Matt Foley appeared in eight Saturday Night Live sketches. Each sketch typically started with Foley brought into a specific situation by someone to speak to a group. In addition to his disheveled, overweight, and unstylish appearance, he exhibits poor social skills, frequently loses his temper, disparages and insults his audience, wallows in cynicism and self-pity, and presents a negative motivational message. Foley's trademark line is warning his audience that they could end up, like himself, being "35 years old, eating a steady diet of government cheese, thrice divorced, and living in a van down by the river!" In most sketches, whenever a member of his audience announces a personal accomplishment, Foley responds with mockery or belligerence: "Well, la-dee-frickin-da!", "Whoop-dee-frickin-doo!", or a similarly dismissive remark. The sketches usually feature Farley's physical comedy, such as the over-caffeinated Foley gesticulating wildly and leaping around.

Matt Foley (Australian politician)

The Hon. Matthew Joseph "Matt" Foley (born 24 January 1951) is a former Australian politician. Before entering politics, he was a barrister and social worker, and sub-dean of the Social Work Faculty at Queensland University 1981–1983. He was chairperson of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal (1983–1986), president of the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties (1985–1987), a member of the Criminal Law Sub-Committee of the Bar Association of Queensland and of the National Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (1988–1989) and National President of the Labor Lawyers Association (1989).

In 1989, Foley was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for Yeronga. From 1992 onward, Foley served as Attorney-General of Queensland and Minister for the Arts, among other roles, in the Wayne Goss Government. In opposition from 1996-1998, Foley was Shadow Attorney-General. When Labor won government under Peter Beattie in 1998, Foley was appointed Minister for the Arts, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. At the 2001 election, his seat was abolished and he successfully contested Yeerongpilly. Judge Roslyn Atkinson has credited Foley, in his role as Queensland Attorney-General, with making the Bench more inclusive and representative of wider society, and specifically appointing more women to the Bench. After the election, he became Minister for Employment, Training and Youth, keeping his responsibility for the Arts but leaving his legal portfolios. Foley retired from politics in 2004.