Andy Kaufman

Acting

Andy Kaufman

Born January 17, 1949 · New York City, New York, USA

Died May 16, 1984 · aged 35

Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, 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 …

Known For

Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary SpecialSaturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special · 1999
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
6.91999
MovieComedyTV Movie
A TV special celebrating the 25th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Before a celebrity audience, many of the former cast members and guest hosts return to perform their signature monologues and present a look back at some of the best comedy skits and musical numbers of the past two and a half decades.
The Fantastic Miss Piggy ShowThe Fantastic Miss Piggy Show · 1982
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
8.21982
MovieTV MovieMusic
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).
In God We Tru$tIn God We Tru$t · 1980
In God We Tru$t
6.11980
MovieComedy
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.
Saturday Night Live: 15th AnniversarySaturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary · 1989
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
7.81989
MovieComedyTV Movie
A TV special celebrating the 15th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Before a celebrity audience, many of the former cast members and guest hosts return to perform their signature monologues and present a look back at some of the best comedy skits and musical numbers of the past 15 years.
God Told Me ToGod Told Me To · 1976
God Told Me To
5.81976
MovieCrimeHorror
A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random citizens who claim that 'God told them to'.
HeartbeepsHeartbeeps · 1981
Heartbeeps
4.51981
MovieComedyFamily
Two domestic robots fall in love and run off together.
Andy's FunhouseAndy's Funhouse · 1979
Andy's Funhouse
6.21979
MovieComedyDocumentary
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.
Cher... and Other FantasiesCher... and Other Fantasies · 1979
Cher... and Other Fantasies
10.01979
MovieMusicTV Movie
In a prime time network special featuring songs from her latest album "Take Me Home," Cher finds herself trapped in a strange building, where various fantasies await her behind every door.

Filmography

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"Tank You Vedy Much!" - The Many Faces of a Comic Legend"Tank You Vedy Much!" - The Many Faces of a Comic Legend · 1999
"Tank You Vedy Much!" - The Many Faces of a Comic Legend
6.01999
MovieDocumentary
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"!!
Stick AroundStick Around · 1977
Stick Around
6.31977
Series
Stick Around was an unsold television pilot for ABC, starring Andy Kaufman. Only one episode was ever made, airing on May 30, 1977. Kaufman portrayed Andy, a run-down servant robot in the future. He used the same voice of his "Foreign Man" character that would one day become the signature voice of Latka Gravas on Taxi. The pilot also starred Nancy New and Fred McCarren as Elaine and Vance Keefer, a married couple in the year 2055. The plot of the episode revolves around Andy the robot's inadequacies as an older model, and whether or not they should replace him. Vance owns an antique store, and there are a lot of jokes that revolve around his misconceptions about the antiques he has, all of which are common household appliances of the 1970s. Vance is very frustrated by Andy's incompetence but eventually he and Elaine decide to keep him. Andy would revive the robot character to some degree in the 1981 film Heartbeeps.

Andy, The Robot