Biography
Macka Foley was born on January 2, 1951, in Portland, Maine, USA, as Martin Macka A. Foley, Jr., to the late Martin and Dorothy Dixie (Lee) Foley. He grew up in the West End, attending St. Dominics School and graduating from Portland High School in 1969, where he was voted most witty by his classmates. A well-known athlete, Macka captained the basketball team. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving two tours in the Vietnam War and receiving the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat.
Following his honorable discharge, Macka pursued a career as a heavyweight boxer from 1969 to 1979, participating in 54 professional fights around the world on every continent except Antarctica. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of boxing history and could name every champion in every division since records began in the U.S. In 1986, he relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he became a boxing trainer. Macka took pride in training champions such as James Toney, Manny Pacquiao, and Brian Viloria, as well as several actors and actresses, earning a reputation as one of the best trainers in the industry. For the last decade of his life, he trained James Franco, who regarded him like a son. Franco recently shared on Facebook, "I just heard that Macka Foley passed away. He was a boxing trainer and a saint of the sweet science. I spent years with him. He showed me that anything in life—boxing, acting, or just living—is all about breathing and being relaxed in yourself. I'll never forget him."
Beyond training, Macka appeared in over 500 television shows, several movies, and numerous commercials, notably known for his work in Ghost (1990), Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990), and Death House (1988). A deeply spiritual man, he valued daily meditation as a vital part of his life and was known for his humor, spontaneity, and quick wit. Macka Foley passed away unexpectedly on August 3, 2015, in Los Angeles, California, USA.
