MovieChat Forums > Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Discussion > The name: origin??

The name: origin??

posted 12 years ago by robluny
2 replies | jump to latest

Anyone know how he came up with "axel foley". Is axel a real name?? Ive heard sly Stallone was originally planned to play the part (oh dear) so can see it as an action hero name but would love some clarity!!

[–] justxme 11 years ago

Axel is a real Scandinavian name. It is also commonly used in Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_%28name%29

According to German Wikipedia, the name "Foley" comes from "Foley Artists", the people who create background sounds for movies. Eddie Murphy had made all kinds of sounds with his mouth in "Saturday Night Live".

The name "Axel" was used in a "Saturday Night Live" parody of "Mad Max".

[–] Virginiana 11 years ago

There's a sports connection too. Over 100 years ago there was an early Norwegian figure skater (male) named Axel Paulsen who invented a new and difficult jump. The jump is called an "axel" to this day.