Global Information Lookup Global Information

Andy Kaufman information


Andy Kaufman
a black-and-white photo of Kaufman in a military uniform
Kaufman in 1979, playing his "Foreign Man" character
Born
Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman

(1949-01-17)January 17, 1949
New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1984(1984-05-16) (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeBeth David Cemetery
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • singer
  • dancer
  • performance artist
  • professional wrestler
Years active1971–1984
Style
  • Alternative comedy
  • Anti-humor
  • cringe humor
  • character comedy
  • surreal comedy
  • improvisational comedy
PartnerLynne Margulies (1982–1984)
Children1

Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (/ˈkfmən/ KOWF-mən;[1] January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984[2]) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes been called an "anti-comedian".[3] He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, once saying in an interview, "I am not a comic, I have never told a joke. The comedian's promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him. My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can."[4]

After working in small comedy clubs in the early 1970s, Kaufman came to the attention of a wider audience in 1975, when he was invited to perform portions of his act on the first season of Saturday Night Live. His Foreign Man character was the basis of his performance as Latka Gravas on the hit television show Taxi from 1978 until 1983.[5] During this time, he continued to tour comedy clubs and theaters in a series of unique performance art/comedy shows, sometimes appearing as himself and sometimes as obnoxiously rude lounge singer Tony Clifton. He was also a frequent guest on sketch comedy and late-night talk shows, particularly Late Night with David Letterman.[6] In 1982, Kaufman brought his professional wrestling villain act to Letterman's show by way of a staged encounter with Jerry "The King" Lawler of the Continental Wrestling Association. The fact that the altercation was planned was not publicly disclosed for over a decade.

Kaufman died of lung cancer on May 16, 1984, at the age of 35.[7] As pranks and elaborate ruses were major elements of his career, persistent rumors have circulated that Kaufman faked his own death as a grand hoax.[6][8] He continues to be respected for the variety of his characters, his uniquely counterintuitive approach to comedy, and his willingness to provoke negative and confused reactions from audiences.[6][9]

  1. ^ "I-L". NLS.
  2. ^ "Certificate of Death, State of California: Andrew G. Kaufman". Country of Los Angeles Resigtrar-Recorder/County Clerk via TheSmokingGun.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  3. ^ Givens, Ron (December 23, 1999). "Andy Kaufman recalled as bizarre, gifted". New York Daily News; Reading Eagle. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  4. ^ Brennan, Sandra (2008). "Full Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2012. I am not a comic, I have never told a joke. ... The comedian's promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him. ... My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can. ... They say, 'Oh wow, Andy Kaufman, he's a really funny guy.'
  5. ^ Prial, Frank J. (May 18, 1984). "Andy Kaufman, A Comedian Known For Unorthodox Skits". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference beloved was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference clifton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Tip-off". Lakeland Ledger. March 30, 1995. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  9. ^ Handler, David (June 9, 1984). "Kaufman Blazed New Trails". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved August 27, 2016.

and 22 Related for: Andy Kaufman information

Request time (Page generated in 0.8166 seconds.)

Andy Kaufman

Last Update:

buying Andy's Foreign Man character for the Taxi character Latka." Kaufman's longtime manager George Shapiro encouraged him to take the gig. Kaufman disliked...

Word Count : 7931

Bob Zmuda

Last Update:

director best known for his friendship with comedian Andy Kaufman. Zmuda occasionally portrayed Kaufman's Tony Clifton character on stage and for television...

Word Count : 764

Carol Kane

Last Update:

early 1980s, as Simka Gravas, the wife of Latka, the character played by Andy Kaufman, winning two Emmy Awards for her work. She has played the character of...

Word Count : 3068

Continental Wrestling Association

Last Update:

men were also on and off again partners to Lawler. In the early 1980s, Andy Kaufman routinely wrestled women during his shows, proclaiming himself the “Intergender...

Word Count : 3553

George Shapiro

Last Update:

States, best known for representing Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, and Andy Kaufman and serving as a producer for the sitcom Seinfeld. Shapiro was born in...

Word Count : 796

Tony Clifton

Last Update:

Tony Clifton is a character created by comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s. An absurdly foul-mouthed and domineering lounge singer...

Word Count : 1781

Heartbeeps

Last Update:

The film was directed by Allan Arkush, written by John Hill, and stars Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters as the robots alongside Randy Quaid, Kenneth McMillan...

Word Count : 1129

Bill Apter

Last Update:

Superstars & Superbouts. Apter was friends with actor and comedian Andy Kaufman. Kaufman had been a fan of professional wrestling since childhood and visited...

Word Count : 1685

Michael Richards

Last Update:

famous instance where Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman, causing him to throw...

Word Count : 2740

Jim Carrey

Last Update:

critically-acclaimed performances include Truman Burbank in The Truman Show (1998) and Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999), winning Golden Globe Awards for each film...

Word Count : 10207

Latka Gravas

Last Update:

Andy Kaufman. A sweet-natured and lovable-but-goofy mechanic, Latka is an immigrant from an unspecified nation. He was based on a character Kaufman created...

Word Count : 678

My Breakfast with Blassie

Last Update:

My Breakfast with Blassie is a 1983 film starring Andy Kaufman and professional wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie. It is a mostly improvised parody of...

Word Count : 176

Elayne Boosler

Last Update:

Murphy and David Ruprecht, and also appeared on The Andy Kaufman Show, a talk show parody created by Kaufman that aired as an episode of the PBS series Soundstage...

Word Count : 3736

Van Dyke and Company

Last Update:

variety show television series hosted by Dick Van Dyke on NBC in 1976. Andy Kaufman made his prime time debut on the show and became a series regular. The...

Word Count : 273

Solo performance

Last Update:

theatre and dance. Solo performers include Rob Becker, Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, Rod Maxwell, Lord Buckley, Eric Bogosian, Whoopi Goldberg, Jade Esteban...

Word Count : 1608

Kristen Schaal

Last Update:

Alternative Comedian". She was also the winner of the second annual Andy Kaufman Award (hosted by the New York Comedy Festival), Best Female Stand-up...

Word Count : 4520

Andy Kaufmann

Last Update:

Andy Kaufmann (born c. 1967) is a former basketball 6'5 or 6'6 swingman/small forward who starred at the University of Illinois during the late 1980s and...

Word Count : 511

Dick Van Dyke

Last Update:

Introduce General Audiences to Andy Kaufman". MeTV. August 19, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2020. Zmuda, Bob (2000). Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells...

Word Count : 5899

Andy and His Grandmother

Last Update:

Andy and His Grandmother is the posthumous debut album from American comedian Andy Kaufman, released on Drag City on July 16, 2013. Composed of recordings...

Word Count : 650

Jerry Lawler

Last Update:

known for his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman, and for portraying himself in the 1999 Jim Carrey film about Kaufman, Man on the Moon. In 2007, Lawler...

Word Count : 12041

Jimmy Hart

Last Update:

managers in professional wrestling history, Hart has managed the likes of Andy Kaufman, The Honky Tonk Man, Bret Hart (no relation) and Jim Neidhart (The Hart...

Word Count : 3800

Jim Carrey filmography

Last Update:

art-house film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michael Gondry. He received his fourth Golden Globe Award...

Word Count : 912

PDF Search Engine © AllGlobal.net