Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman

Birth : 1949-01-17,

Death : 1984-05-16

History

Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as acomedian, Kaufman did not consider himself to be one. He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, referring to himself instead as a "song-and-dance man." Elaborate hoaxes and pranks were major elements of his career. His act maintains a cult following and he continues to be respected among comedians for his original material, performance style, and unflinching commitment to character.

Profile

Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman

Movies

Thank You Very Much
Self (archive footage)
In his short, enigmatic life, Andy Kaufman entertained and transfixed audiences while simultaneously driving them away. His work dissolved the boundaries separating reality from fiction, and his commitment to performance, both on stage and off, rendered any distinctions between his characters and his real life useless. Was he a comic, an affable sit-com star, a washed-up lounge singer, a bus boy, a professional wrestler, a hoaxer, a provocateur or a pest? Nearly 40 years after his supposed death, one question still puzzles fans and haters alike: “was that for real?” Thank You Very Much is the definitive documentary look at how a shy, oddball kid from Long Island, New York, became the most polarizing performance artist of the 20th century.
Jerry Before Seinfeld
Himself
Jerry Seinfeld returns to the club that gave him his start in the 1970s, mixing iconic jokes with stories from his childhood and early days in comedy.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond
Himself (Archive Footage)
Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.
It's Good To Be The King: The Jerry Lawler Story
Himself
You hear his voice calling the action every week on WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw, but there is more to being king other than having the best seat in the house! In this regal new documentary, Jerry "The King" Lawler shares the amazing story of his rise to royalty. Follow the WWE Hall of Famer from his early days to his championship-laden career in the ring, his incomparable reign at the broadcast table and a king-sized list of accolades along the way. Friends and peers also join The King for this revealing look inside the life of this enduring and revered figure in sports entertainment.
The Demon: A Film About Andy Kaufman
Andrew Kaufman (1949 - 1984) was an American entertainer, actor, writer, performance artist and professional wrestler. A charismatic persona poured out of a bucket.
Andy Kaufman World Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion: His Greatest Matches
Himself
The story of famed performance artist Andy Kaufman's bizarre quest to find a woman who could defeat him in the wrestling ring. Footage taken from Kaufman's personal archives highlight his reign as the "World's Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion," a title that earned him the wrath of liberated females all across America.
The Death Of Andy Kaufman
Himself (archive footage)
The Andy Kaufman Project explores the possibility that avant-garde performance artist Andy Kaufman may have faked his death.
Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
In the late 1950s, a fresh, unconventional style of standup comedy emerged in sharp contrast to the standard "Take my wife, please" approach. It tackled such previously taboo subjects as sex, religion, drugs, and politics, and ushered in an avant-garde era of comedy that was decidedly more cerebral, satirical, and improvisational than before. Here are many of the maverick comedians who took those big risks years ago and paved the way for today’s current crop of outrageous, in-your-face comics. Many of these rare television performances have not been seen in 30 or 40 years. Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks (1966) Jackie Mason (1961) Bob Newhart (1966) Shelly Berman (1966) Bill Cosby (1965) Jonathan Winters (1961) Smothers Brothers (1974) Steve Martin (1977) Rowan & Martin (1964) Lily Tomlin (1975) George Carlin (1967 & 1975) Richard Pryor (1967 & 1974) Andy Kaufman (1977) Hendra & Ullett (1966) Billy Crystal (1976) Jay Leno (1978) David Letterman (1979)
The Real Andy Kaufman
Himself (archive footage)
The majority of the footage in The Real Andy Kaufman consists of a 1979 performance the actor/comedian/performance artist performed in the Catskills. In addition to some of his classic routines, the film offers interviews with friends and colleagues.
The Real Andy Kaufman
Writer
The majority of the footage in The Real Andy Kaufman consists of a 1979 performance the actor/comedian/performance artist performed in the Catskills. In addition to some of his classic routines, the film offers interviews with friends and colleagues.
Andy Kaufman was one of the most original comedians of the 20th century. He definitely danced to his own drummer. He could play a shy, lovable man like Latka Gravas on "Taxi", and then turn around and play Tony Clifton, an obnoxious, crude Lounge Lizzard. He was also one of the Great "Put on Artists" of our time. He also put on the world with his wrestling fiasco involving Jerry Lawler who eventually slapped Andy out of his chair on The Letterman Show. It was all staged!! Come on along with us and follow Andy's career from early childhood, with exclusive family shots, to his untimely death at 35. Even then, his close friends didn't believe it. They thought it was another Andy Kaufman "put on"!!
I'm from Hollywood
Himself (archive footage)
I'm from Hollywood is about the adventures of late performance artist Andy Kaufman in the world of professional wrestling. This film includes interviews with Taxi co-stars Marilu Henner and Tony Danza and interviews with comedian Robin Williams, wrestler Jerry Lawler, wrestling commentator Lance Russell, and Kaufman's best friend, Bob Zmuda. Other people seen in the film include TV host David Letterman and Jimmy Hart of Continental Wrestling Association. The film's title refers to a phrase spoken by Kaufman to the Memphis wrestling audience.
The Rodney Dangerfield Special: I Can't Take It No More
various
Rodney Dangerfield special, featuring stand-up and sketches.
My Breakfast with Blassie
Self
My Breakfast with Blassie is a movie starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie. It is a mostly improvised parody of the popular art film My Dinner with Andre and is set in a restaurant where Kaufman and Blassie have a discussion over breakfast. Also featured is Kaufman's partner Bob Zmuda, who plays a nosy fan. Lynne Margulies, who would later become Kaufman's girlfriend, also plays a role; in fact, she and Kaufman met for the first time on camera.
Andy Kaufman: The Andy Kaufman Show: Soundstage
Writer
From the PBS series "Soundstage" comes this special broadcast of Andy Kaufman's satirical talk show, which includes "The Has-Been Corner," a spoof segment with a washed-up celebrity, and a routine featuring his marionette alter ego, Tony Clifton. In other highlights, Kaufman and ex-girlfriend Elayne Boosler publicly expose their turbulent relationship, and one of Kaufman's guests is unmasked as a charlatan.
Andy Kaufman: The Andy Kaufman Show: Soundstage
Himself
From the PBS series "Soundstage" comes this special broadcast of Andy Kaufman's satirical talk show, which includes "The Has-Been Corner," a spoof segment with a washed-up celebrity, and a routine featuring his marionette alter ego, Tony Clifton. In other highlights, Kaufman and ex-girlfriend Elayne Boosler publicly expose their turbulent relationship, and one of Kaufman's guests is unmasked as a charlatan.
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
Tony Clifton
Taped in Toronto between August 9-24, 1982, Miss Piggy hosts her own variety show, with special guests John Ritter, George Hamilton and Tony Clifton (Andy Kaufman). Under the direction of Kermit the Frog, the Muppets work in the control room and, amidst chaos, manage to keep the show on the air. Throughout the show, a romantic triangle develops among Piggy, Ritter (who is smitten with the pig) and Hamilton (who is deeply uncomfortable with the star's romantic inclinations).
Heartbeeps
Val
Two domestic robots fall in love and run off together.
Andy Kaufman: The Midnight Special
Himself
The big mystery about Andy Kaufman's work is in trying to figure out what's serious, what's an act, why he is doing what he's doing, and whether he even knows the differences himself. His performances are among those rare examples where you feel extremely uncomfortable watching them, but at the same time you can't pull yourself away because it's hysterical in a twisted and bizarre sort of way.
In God We Tru$t
Armageddon T. Thunderbird
A naive monk, named Brother Ambrose, is sent by the abbot on a mission to raise $5,000 in order to save their monastery from closing. He goes to Hollywood where he encounters a number of eccentric characters.
Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall
Himself
Andy Kaufman's legendary sold-out Carnegie Hall performance, featuring all of Kaufman's classic routines, including Foreign Man, Elvis, conga drums, plus Andy wrestling women and even taking on a real male wrestler! Also appearing is a menagerie of Kaufman's collection of human oddities, including the infamous Tony Clifton, The Love Family (a sub-Partridge Family singing group who do a bang-up version of "The Age of Aquarius" complete with synchronized dance movements), Grant Bowman the "Happy New Year Man" (straight from Times Square, where Andy found him), "cowgirl" Eleanor Cody Gould and an uncredited, surprise big name guest as Andy’s grandmother. Bob Zmuda appears as Andy's referee, and at the end of the show, Andy takes the entire audience out for milk and cookies.
The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1979
Self
For the 1979 broadcast, Cash's annual CBS Christmas special returns to Nashville after taping the previous year's program in Los Angeles. This time he features his father, Ray Cash, and older brother Roy Cash in a visit to the small home in Dyess, Arkansas, where Johnny and his siblings were raised. Guests include Canadian pop and country star Anne Murray ("You Needed Me"), who was enjoying the most successful period of her career, and country music's Tom T. Hall, whom Cash introduces as "my very favorite songwriter" before Cash and Hall launch into a medley of Hall's hits "Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine," "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died," "I Love" and "Country Is." The show's comic foil is the late Andy Kaufman, who appears as his character Latka Gravas from the hit network show Taxi.
Andy's Funhouse
Original Music Composer
This special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979, on ABC. It featured most of Andy's famous gags, including Foreign Man/Latka and his Elvis Presley impersonation, as well as a host of unique segments (including a special appearance by children's television character Howdy Doody and the "Has-been Corner"). There also is a segment that included fake television screen static as part of the gag, which ABC executives were not comfortable with, fearing that viewers would mistake the static for broadcast problems and would change the channel—which was the comic element Kaufman wanted to present. Andy's Funhouse was written by Kaufman, Zmuda, and Mel Sherer, with music by Kaufman.
Andy's Funhouse
Writer
This special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979, on ABC. It featured most of Andy's famous gags, including Foreign Man/Latka and his Elvis Presley impersonation, as well as a host of unique segments (including a special appearance by children's television character Howdy Doody and the "Has-been Corner"). There also is a segment that included fake television screen static as part of the gag, which ABC executives were not comfortable with, fearing that viewers would mistake the static for broadcast problems and would change the channel—which was the comic element Kaufman wanted to present. Andy's Funhouse was written by Kaufman, Zmuda, and Mel Sherer, with music by Kaufman.
Andy's Funhouse
Producer
This special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979, on ABC. It featured most of Andy's famous gags, including Foreign Man/Latka and his Elvis Presley impersonation, as well as a host of unique segments (including a special appearance by children's television character Howdy Doody and the "Has-been Corner"). There also is a segment that included fake television screen static as part of the gag, which ABC executives were not comfortable with, fearing that viewers would mistake the static for broadcast problems and would change the channel—which was the comic element Kaufman wanted to present. Andy's Funhouse was written by Kaufman, Zmuda, and Mel Sherer, with music by Kaufman.
Andy's Funhouse
Himself / Latka Gravas / Tony Clifton
This special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979, on ABC. It featured most of Andy's famous gags, including Foreign Man/Latka and his Elvis Presley impersonation, as well as a host of unique segments (including a special appearance by children's television character Howdy Doody and the "Has-been Corner"). There also is a segment that included fake television screen static as part of the gag, which ABC executives were not comfortable with, fearing that viewers would mistake the static for broadcast problems and would change the channel—which was the comic element Kaufman wanted to present. Andy's Funhouse was written by Kaufman, Zmuda, and Mel Sherer, with music by Kaufman.
Stormy Justice
Writer
Tony Clifton, one of Andy Kaufman’s many alter-egos, presides over some totally clueless plaintiffs and defendants in this brilliant and absolutely freaked out take-off on The People’s Court.
Stormy Justice
Tony Clifton, one of Andy Kaufman’s many alter-egos, presides over some totally clueless plaintiffs and defendants in this brilliant and absolutely freaked out take-off on The People’s Court.
Cher... and Other Fantasies
Adam
Cher... and Other Fantasies is an special starring singer and actress Cher in 1979, where its featured songs from her latests album "Take Me Home"
Stick Around
Andy, the Robot
It's the year 2055 and things are better for the human race, except for Vance. The Keefer family deals with daily life in the future and their older and malfunctioning robot servant, which Vance is tired of.
God Told Me To
Police Assassin
A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that "God told them to."