He is credited with developing a unique method for performing sound effects live and in synchrony with the picture during a film's post-production.
He worked on pictures such as Melody of Love (1928), Show Boat (1929), Dat Ol' Ribber, Dracula (1931), Spartacus (1960), and Operation Petticoat (1959).
For his work in Hollywood, Foley received the Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award.
Foley's biological father worked at the docks and was a volunteer firefighter as well as a singer and songwriter for local pubs.
Along with the town's storekeepers, Foley led a publicity campaign to bring the film industry to Bishop to help stimulate the local economy.
He helped bring movies to life by recording everyday sounds, such as chewing, knocking on wood, and footsteps.
Foley himself calculated that he had walked over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) making sounds for films, and his work and legacy are still remembered to this day.