Andy Kaufman

Infobox actor
name = Andy Kaufman


imagesize = 200px
caption =
birthdate = birth date|1949|1|17|mf=y
location = New York City, New York
deathdate = death date and age|1984|5|16|1949|1|17|mf=y
deathplace = Los Angeles, California
birthname = Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman
homepage =
academyawards =

Andrew Geoffrey 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 self-identify as one. [He is quoted in [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/37092/Andy-Kaufman/biography "The New York Times"] as saying:

"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. I can manipulate people's reactions. There are different kinds of laughter. Gut laughter is where you don't have a choice, you've got to laugh. Gut laughter doesn't come from the intellect. And it's much harder for me to evoke now, because I'm known. They say, 'Oh wow, Andy Kaufman, he's a really funny guy.' But I'm not trying to be funny. I just want to play with their heads."

] He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood. He referred to himself as a "song and dance man".

Early life

Kaufman was born in New York City on January 17, 1949, the first son of Janice (née Bernstein) and Stanley Kaufman. He grew up in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, and began performing at the age of 9. [ [http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/realmotm.htm "The Real Man on the Moon Talks" by Kaufman's father] ] He attended the now defunct two-year Grahm Junior College [See [http://www.grahmjuniorcollege.org/alumni.htm their web page.] ] in Boston, graduating in 1971. After leaving college he began performing stand-up comedy at various small clubs along the East coast.

Career highlights

"Foreign man"

Kaufman first caught major attention with a character known as "Foreign Man". Foreign Man, who claimed to be from "Caspiar" (a fictional island in the Caspian Sea), would appear on the stage of comedy clubs and lip-synch one line — "Here I come to save the day" — while playing a recording with the theme from "Mighty Mouse," tell a few jokes (poorly), and perform a number of lackluster impersonations (Archie Bunker, Richard Nixon, etc.)Fact|date=September 2007. Some variations of this performance were broadcast in the first season of "Saturday Night Live"; the "Mighty Mouse" number was featured on the premiere October 11, 1975 broadcast, while the joke-telling and Bunker impression were included in the October 25 broadcast that same fall."SNL: The complete first season, 1975-1976". DVD recording.]

He might speak in a fake accent, and say "I would like to imitate Meester Carter, de President of de United States." He would continue in the same voice, "Hello, I am Meester Carter, de President of de United States. T'ank you veddy much." The audience would be torn between outrage at seeing such a bad act, and sympathy for the hapless entertainer, who would cry on stage once heckled enough.

At that point, Foreign Man would announce "And now I would like to imitate the Elvis Presley," turn around, take off his jacket, slick his hair back, and launch into an Elvis Presley impersonation so good that Elvis Presley himself described it as his favorite. [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018063/bio Andy Kaufman at Yahoo! Movies] ] When Kaufman visited Graceland after Presley's death, it was discovered that the singer had several VHS tapes of Kaufman in his home. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000062/bio Elvis bio on IMDB] ] After the wild applause that almost always came after his Elvis impression, he would take a simple bow and say in his "Foreign Man" voice, "T'ank you veddy much!" The audience would realize they had been tricked, which became a trademark of Kaufman's comedy.

"Latka"

Kaufman first used a version of the Foreign Man character as Andy the Robot in the never aired pilot for the sitcom "Stick Around" in 1976. The character was then morphed into Latka Gravas, for ABC's "Taxi" sitcom, appearing in 114 episodes from 1978 to 1983. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077089/ "Taxi"] ] The producers of "Taxi" had seen Andy's Foreign Man act and, according to producer Ed Weinberger, "We weren't considering Andy for the show before we saw him. Then we wrote a part for him." Bob Zmuda confirms this: "They basically were buying Andy's Foreign Man character for the "Taxi" character Latka." [ [http://www.bluedonut.com/ak.htm "Andy Kaufman Oral History"] , interviews with Don Steinberg, originally published in short form in "GQ Magazine", December 1999.] Andy's long-time manager George Shapiro encouraged Andy to take the gig. "My feeling was that it would be a nice boost for his career... and he would be playing a character that he knew very well, the Foreign Man - this particular character speaks poor English in "Taxi" and his name is Latka Gravas." [Quoted in "Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman" by Bill Zehme (2001), p. 6.]

Kaufman hated sitcoms and was not thrilled with the idea of being on one. In order to allow Kaufman to demonstrate some comedic range, his character was given multiple personality disorder, which allowed Kaufman to randomly portray other characters. In one episode, Kaufman's character came down with a condition which made him act like Alex Reiger, the main character played by Judd Hirsch. Another such recurring character played by Kaufman was the womanizing "Vic Ferrari". Latka's wife in the series was named Simka, who was portrayed by comic actress Carol Kane. His role did lead to two Golden Globe nominations, in 1979 and 1980. [ [http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Andy_Kaufman_The_Midnight_Special/22046279 "Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special: Featuring Andy Kaufman"] (1981)] His appearance on this show included a sketch of him supposedly rehearsing for a "Taxi" episode but ended up being a made-up gag sequence.

"Taxi" was an award-winning show with a large audience and Kaufman was widely recognized as Latka. On some occasions, audiences would show up to one of Kaufman's stage performances expecting to see him perform as Latka, and heckling him with demands when he did not. Kaufman would punish these audiences with the announcement that he was going to read "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald to them. The audience would laugh at this, not realizing that he was serious and would proceed to read the book to them, continuing despite audience members' departure. At a certain point, he would ask the audience if they wanted him to keep reading, or play a record. When the audience chose to hear the record, the record he cued up was a recording of him continuing to read "The Great Gatsby" from where he had left off.fact|date=June 2008

"Tony Clifton"

Another well-known Kaufman character is Tony Clifton, an abusive lounge singer who began opening for Kaufman at comedy clubs and eventually even performed concerts on his own around the country. Sometimes it was Kaufman performing as Clifton, sometimes it was his brother Michael or his friend Bob Zmuda. For a brief time, it was unclear to some that Clifton was not a real person. News programs interviewed Clifton as Kaufman's opening act, with the mood turning ugly whenever Kaufman's name came up. Kaufman, Clifton insisted, was attempting to ruin Clifton's "good name" in order to make money and get famous.As a requirement for Kaufman accepting the offer to star on "Taxi", he insisted that "Clifton" be hired for a guest role on the show as if he were a real person, not a character. After throwing a tantrum on the set, Clifton was fired and escorted off of the studio lot by security guards. Much to Kaufman's delight, this incident was reported in the local newspapers. Paramount TV and producers James L. Brooks and Stan Daniels later released a statement that said that although Clifton was "no longer welcome on the set," his friend Andy Kaufman would continue in his role as Latka, which he did until the show ended its run in 1983.

Carnegie Hall "milk and cookies" show

At the beginning of an April 1979 performance at New York's Carnegie Hall, Kaufman invited his "grandmother" to watch the show from a chair he had placed at the side of the stage. At the end of the show, she stood up, took her mask off and revealed to the audience that she was actually comedian Robin Williams in disguise. Kaufman also had an elderly woman (named Eleanor Cody Gould) appear to have a heart attack and die on stage, at which point he reappeared on stage wearing a Native American headdress and performed a dance over her body, seeming to revive her.

The performance is most famous for Kaufman ending the show by actually taking the entire audience, in 20 buses, out for milk and cookies. He invited anyone interested to meet him on the Staten Island Ferry the next morning, where the show continued.

This kind of performance art—not stand-up comedy—is a hallmark of Kaufman's career.

(In the bio-pic "Man on the Moon", this event was shown to be planned and performed "after" Kaufman was diagnosed with cancer, when in fact it took place almost 4 years before.)

"Andy's Funhouse"

The "Taxi" deal with ABC included giving Kaufman a television "special". He came up with "Andy's Funhouse", based on an old routine he had developed while in college. The special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979, on ABC. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228013/ "Andy's Funhouse"] ] 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 was a segment that included fake television screen static as part of the gag, which ABC executives were not comfortable with due to the fear that viewers would mistake the static with 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 considered this perhaps his greatest work.Fact|date=February 2007

The "Fridays" incident

In 1981, Kaufman made three appearances [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080219/ Kaufman on "Fridays".] ] on "Fridays", a variety show on ABC that was similar to "Saturday Night Live". Kaufman's first appearance on the show proved to be memorable. During a sketch about four people out on a dinner date who excuse themselves to the restroom to smoke marijuana, Kaufman broke character and refused to say his lines.

The other comedians were embarrassed by the position that Kaufman had put them in on a live television show. In response, cast member Michael Richards walked off camera and returned with a set of cue cards and dumped them on the table in front of Kaufman. Andy responded by splashing Richards with water. Co-producer Jack Burns stormed onto the stage, leading to a brawl on camera before the show abruptly cut away to commercial. [ [http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/544255131b Andy Kaufman on Fridays from FridaysFan ] ] It was later revealed that this incident was a practical joke, though most of the actors were kept unaware.

Regardless, Kaufman appeared the following week in a videotaped apology to the home viewers. Later that year, Kaufman returned to host "Fridays". At one point in the show, he invited a "Lawrence Welk Show" gospel and standards singer, Kathie Sullivan, on stage to sing a few gospel songs with him and announced that the two were engaged to be married, then talked to the audience about his newfound faith in Jesus. It was also a hoax.

Professional wrestling

Kaufman grew up admiring professional wrestlers and the world in which they perform. Inspired by the theatricality of kayfabe, the staged nature of the sport, and his own tendency to form elaborate hoaxes, Kaufman began wrestling women during his act and was the self-proclaimed "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World," taking on an aggressive and ridiculous personality based upon the characters invented by professional wrestlers. He offered a $1,000 reward to any woman who could pin him.

Later, after a challenge from professional wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler, Kaufman would step into the ring (in the Memphis wrestling circuit) with a man — Lawler himself. Their ongoing feud, often featuring Jimmy Hart and other heels in Kaufman's corner, included an apparent broken neck for Kaufman as a result of Lawler's piledriver and a famous on-air fight on a 1982 episode of "Late Night with David Letterman". For some time after that, Kaufman appeared everywhere wearing a neck brace, insisting that his injuries were real. Kaufman would continue to defend the Inter-Gender Championship in the Mid-South Coliseum, and offered an extra prize, other than the $1,000.00: that if he was pinned, the woman who pinned him would get to marry him and that he (Kaufman) would shave his head bald as well.

Kaufman and Lawler's famous feud and wrestling matches were later revealed to have been staged, or a "work," as the two were actually friends. The truth about it being a work was kept secret for more than 10 years after Kaufman's death, until the Emmy nominated documentary, "A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman", aired on NBC in 1995. Coincidentally, Jim Carrey (who also shares Kaufman's birthday) is the one who reveals the secret, and would later go on to play Kaufman in the 1999 film, "Man on the Moon". In a 1997 interview with the "Memphis Flyer", Lawler claimed he had improvised during their first match and the "Letterman" incident. Although officials at St. Francis Hospital stated that Kaufman's neck injuries were real, in his 2002 biography "It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes", Lawler detailed how they came up with the angle and kept it quiet. He also said that Kaufman's explosion on "Letterman" was the comedian's own idea.

Kaufman also appeared in the 1983 film "My Breakfast with Blassie" with professional wrestling personality "Classy" Freddie Blassie, a parody of the art film "My Dinner With Andre".

In 2008 Jakks Pacific produced an action figure 2-pack of Kaufman and Lawler in their WWE Classic Superstars toy line.

Appearances

Kaufman made a name for himself as a guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live", starting with the inaugural October 11, 1975 show, and making 16 appearances in all, [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072562/fullcredits Kaufman on SNL] ] although his last two appearances were simply aired video-tapes and not live. He would do routines from his comedy act, such as the "Mighty Mouse" sing-along, Foreign Man character, the Elvis impersonation, etc. After he angered the audience with his female wrestling routine, in January 1983 Kaufman did make a pre-taped appearance (his "16th") on the show, where he asked the audience if he should ever appear on the show again, and said that he would honor the audience's decision and stay off the show if the vote was negative. "SNL" ran a phone vote, and close to 195,544 people voted to "Dump Andy" and approximately 169,186 people voted to "Keep Andy" [ [http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Andy_Kaufman_The_Midnight_Special/22046279 Netflix Online Movie Rentals - Rent DVDs, Classic Films to DVD New Releases ] ] cite video |people=Alan Graham (producer)|date2=2008-02-21|title=The Passion of Andy Kaufman|url=http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2545402202011032395|format=SWF|medium=Archive footage|publisher=Subterranean Cinema|accessdate=2008-03-20|time=2:20:00] , so Kaufman did not appear "live" but SNL did air a tape of him thanking the 169,186 people who had voted "yes" for him to appear again, which could be considered a "17th" appearance.

Though it was never made clear whether this was a gag, Kaufman did not appear on the show again. During the SNL episode with the Keep Andy/Dump Andy phone poll, many of the cast stated their admiration for Andy's work and read the "Keep Andy" number more clearly than the "Dump Andy" number.cite video |people=Alan Graham (producer)|date2=2008-02-21|title=The Passion of Andy Kaufman|url=http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2545402202011032395|format=SWF|medium=Archive footage|publisher=Subterranean Cinema|accessdate=2008-03-20|time=2:10:55–2:20:33] Eddie Murphy read the "Keep Andy" number at a much faster rate than the "Dump Andy" number, while Mary Gross read the "Dump Andy" number at a rate so fast that audiences were unable to catch it. The final tally was read triumphantly by Gary Kroeger to a cheering audience.

Kaufman made a number of appearances on the daytime "The David Letterman Show" in 1980, and eleven appearances on "Late Night with David Letterman" in 1982-1983, [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083441/fullcredits "Late Night with David Letterman"] ] including one where he claimed to be homeless and begged the audience for money and one where he talked about his adopted children, who turned out to be three fully grown African American men.

His first prime time appearances were several guest spots as the 'Foreign Man' on the "Dick van Dyke Variety" Show in 1976. He also appeared four times on "The Tonight Show" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055708/fullcredits "Tonight Show"] ] from 1976–1978, three times on "The Midnight Special" (in 1972, 1977 and 1981), [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229907/fullcredits "Midnight Special"] ] where in the 1981 episode he is shown sitting in the audience during Tony Clifton's act (although it was obvious Kaufman was not in the audience during the sketch), also on the 1977 episode he performs a rendition of his classic song "I Trusted You" [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSYV-nEE300 YouTube - Andy Kaufman: "I Trusted You" ] ] . He appeared twice on "The Merv Griffin Show" (1979–1980), [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055691/fullcredits "Merv Griffin Show"] ] and once, in 1978 as a participant, on "The Dating Game" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058795/fullcredits "The Dating Game"] ] under a presumed name and as a supposedly real contestant. He also made numerous guest spots on other television programs hosted by or starring celebrities like Dick Van Dyke, Dinah Shore, Rodney Dangerfield, Cher, Dean Martin, Redd Foxx, Mike Douglas, Dick Clark, and Joe Franklin. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001412/ guest appearances] .] He appeared in his first theatrical film "God Told Me To" in 1976, where he portrayed a murderous policeman. He also appeared in several others, including as a televangelist in the 1980 film "In God We Tru$t".

Laurie Anderson worked alongside Andy Kaufman for a time in the 1970s, acting as a sort of straight woman in a number of his Manhattan and Coney Island performances. One of these performances included getting on a ride that people stand in and get spun around. After everyone was strapped in Kaufman would start saying how he did not want to be on the ride in a panicked tone and eventually cry. Anderson later described these performances in her 1995 album "The Ugly One with the Jewels".

At Park West Theatre in Chicago On March 26, 1982 Kaufman performed stage hypnosis where he induced a local D.J.Steve Dahl to urinate while sitting in a large box. Other staged inductions included Bob Zmuda's (Kaufman Producer and writer) childhood friend Joe Troiani mimicking the behavior of a pig and long time friend Bill Karmia dressed as a police officer arresting Kaufman for inducing public nudity with a woman he had hypnotized.

Death

At Thanksgiving dinner in 1983, several family members grew concerned over Kaufman's persistent coughing for the past month. Kaufman consulted a physician and was initially diagnosed with a rare type of lung cancer in December 1983. Despite his doctor's diagnosis that there was no hope for recovery, he was committed to fighting the disease until his death. After audiences were shocked by his gaunt appearance during his performances in January 1984, Kaufman acknowledged having an unspecified illness, which he hoped to cure with "natural medicine" including an all-fruit and vegetables diet, among other measures. Kaufman received palliative radiotherapy, but by then the cancer had rapidly spread. His last resort, a search for successful medical therapy, was "psychic surgery," performed in Baguio, Philippines, in March 1984. Kaufman died in Los Angeles on May 16, 1984 [ [http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi California Death Index] ] of kidney failure, caused by metastasized large cell carcinoma, and was interred in the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York (Long Island). He was 35 years old.

Kaufman was survived by his daughter, Maria Colonna, who was born in 1969 and put up for adoption shortly thereafter. Colonna never knew she was the daughter of Andy Kaufman until 1992, when she traced her biological parentage. [cite news | url =http://radio.villagevoice.com/1999-11-09/long-island-voice/waking-andy-kaufman/4 | title = "Waking Andy Kaufman" | work = The Village Voice | date = 9 November 1999]

Because he kept the true nature of his health a secret—almost until the day he died—fans have, over the years, doubted Kaufman's death, thinking that he staged it as the ultimate Andy Kaufman stunt. Rumors that Kaufman was still alive go as far back as May 17, 1984 (the day after he died), when a caller phoned the Howard Stern radio show on WNBC in New York to announce that Kaufman's death was a hoax. Friends and family said that Andy almost never smoked, did not drink regularly, and was also a vegetarian. At the time, lung cancer was considered very rare for non-smokers to contract, and it is also rare in people under the age of 50. Kaufman himself even said that if he were to fake his death, he would return 20 years later. On May 16, 2004, his surviving friends threw a 'Welcome Home Andy' party for him, which he did not attend.

Claims of resurfacing

Andy Kaufman allegedly told many people—including Bob Zmuda — that he wished to fake his own death prior to his actual death. This has caused some fans to believe Kaufman is still alive. [Andy Kaufman Revealed! by Bob Zmuda] A screenplay Kaufman was working on at the time of his death was about a character who claimed to have lung cancer and faked his death.Fact|date=May 2008

Kaufman lost his hair around the time of his death, and was supposedly seen around Los Angeles in a wheelchair. Some claim his hair loss was due to cancer treatment; however, and according to the website AndykaufmanLives.com, Kaufman's girlfriend at the time later claimed to have shaved his head with a razor. Kaufman's sister also commented after his death that she found it odd that the doctor who diagnosed him with cancer had been wearing tennis shoes, sparking debate among fans as to whether Kaufman had paid off an actor friend to pose as a doctor.Fact|date=May 2008

There are many such rumors involving Kaufman's "hoax" death. The 1999 Jim Carrey film "Man on the Moon" leaves the question open-ended. Tony Clifton performed a year after Kaufman's death at The Comedy Store benefit in Kaufman's honor, with members of his entourage in attendance. Bob Zmuda has acknowledged "death hoax" rumors over the years quite tongue-in-cheek, admitting that Kaufman and he had discussed faking his death at times and that he seemed "obsessed with the idea," but he maintains the opinion that Kaufman truly did die and his death was not faked. Zmuda claims he does not think he would be cruel enough to go this long without making contact with his family if he were still alive. But he also acknowledged the idea that Kaufman could have faked his death in 1984 and died later of some other cause.Fact|date=May 2008

During the 1990s, Tony Clifton has reportedly made several appearances at LA nightclubs since Kaufman's death, prompting speculation that perhaps Kaufman was still alive and working under the makeup. While many assume Zmuda portrayed the character, he has been evasive as to the truth, so the legend persists — fueled partially by an ad in Daily Variety when promoting an appearance by Clifton at the Comedy Store in the late 1990s. Fact|date=May 2008

Regardless of the rumors regarding Andy Kaufman's death, it is almost certain that he did indeed die on May 16, 1984. His death certificate is on file with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and is also available on the popular website The Smoking Gun [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/kaufmandeath1.html Kaufman death certificate on theSmokingGun.com] ] .

In popular culture

Music

* The band R.E.M. refers to Andy Kaufman, his Elvis impersonation and other facets of his life in their song "Man on the Moon" from the 1992 CD Automatic for the People. "Man on the Moon" is also the title of the movie about Andy Kaufman, directed by Miloš Forman in 1999. A second song about Andy Kaufman by R.E.M., "The Great Beyond," appeared both in this movie and on the soundtrack. [ [http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Andy_Kaufman_The_Midnight_Special/22046279 1981 Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special TV show DVD] ]
* Rapper Sage Francis performs a song about staging his own death entitled "Andy Kaufman" on his album "Still Sick... Urine Trouble".

Video games

* Andy Kaufman has posthumously appeared in Acclaim's "Legends of Wrestling II" (2002) and "" (2004).
* In the video game "", the yellow cabs called "Kaufman Cabs" were named after Andy.

Filmography

Acting

*"God Told Me To" (1976) .... Police Officer
*"Stick Around" (1977) (TV) .... Andy, the Robot
*"Taxi" (1978) TV Series .... Latka Gravas/Vic Ferrari
*"In God We Tru$t" (1980) .... Armageddon T. Thunderbird
*"Heartbeeps" (1981) .... Val
*"The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show" (1982) (TV) .... Tony Clifton

Writing

*"Andy's Funhouse" (1979) (TV)
*"Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall" (1980) (V)
*"I'm From Hollywood" (1989) (uncredited)
*"GOD...and other plays" (1999)
*"The Huey Williams Story" (1999)
*"Poetry and Stories" (2000)

Composing

*"Man on the Moon" (1999) (song "Oh, The Cow Goes Moo")

Producing

*"Andy's Funhouse" (1979) (TV) (producer)

Playing himself

*"The Midnight Special" (1972) TV Series... Host
*"Van Dyke and Company" (1975) (TV)
*"Van Dyke and Company" (1976) TV Series... Regular
*"Cher... and Other Fantasies" (1979) (TV)
*"Andy's Funhouse" (1979) (TV) (also as Tony Clifton)... Himself/Latka Gravas/Tony Clifton
*"Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall" (1980) (V)... Himself/Tony Clifton
*"Catch a Rising Star's 10th Anniversary" (1982) (TV)
*"My Breakfast with Blassie" (1983)
*"" (1985) (TV) (voice)
*"I'm From Hollywood" (1989)

Notable TV guest appearances

*"The Dean Martin Comedy World" 6 June 1974 .... Himself
*"The Joe Franklin Show" 20 June 1974 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 1.1) 11 October 1975 .... Foreign Man
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 1.3) 25 October 1975 .... Foreign Man
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 1.4) 8 November 1975 .... Foreign Man
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 1.15) 28 February 1976 .... Himself
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" 23 June 1976 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 2.11) 15 January 1977 .... Foreign Man/Elvis
*"Dinah!" 17 January 1977 .... Foreign Man
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" 21 January 1977 .... Himself
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" 3 March 1977 .... Himself
*"The Hollywood Squares" 15 August 1977 .... Himself
*"Redd Foxx" 15 September 1977 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 3.3) 15 October 1977 .... Foreign Man
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 3.7) 10 December 1977 .... Himself
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" 20 February 1978 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 3.13) 11 March 1978 .... Himself
*"The Mike Douglas Show" 11 April 1978 .... Himself
*"The Dating Game" (as Baji Kimran) 21 November 1978 .... Himself - Participant
*"Live Wednesday" 29 November 1978 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 4.13) 24 February 1979 .... Himself
*"The Tomorrow Show" 20 August 1979 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 5.2) 20 October 1979 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (uncredited) (episode # 5.5) 17 November 1979 .... Himself
*"The Merv Griffin Show" 13 December 1979 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 5.8) 22 December 1979 .... Himself
*"The Merv Griffin Show" 25 January 1980 .... Himself
*"The Midnight Special" 23 January 1981 .... Himself
*"Fridays" (episode # 2.20) 20 February 1981 .... Guest Host
*"Fridays" playing "Himself - Recorded Apology" (episode # 2.21) 27 February 1981 .... Himself
*"Fridays" playing "Guest Host" (episode # 3.1) 18 September 1981 .... Guest Host
*"Good Morning America" 28 October 1981 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" playing "Himself/Elvis" (episode # 7.10) 30 January 1982 .... Himself/Elvis
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 17 February 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 18 February 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 30 March 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 1 April 1982 .... Himself
*"Good Morning America" 14 April 1982 .... Himself
*"The John Davidson Show" 15 April 1982 .... Himself
*"Hour Magazine" 7 May 1982 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 7.19) 15 May 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 17 May 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 28 July 1982 .... Himself
*"Saturday Night Live" (episode # 8.5) 30 October 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 17 November 1982 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 7 January 1983 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 23 February 1983 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 22 September 1983 .... Himself
*"Late Night with David Letterman" 17 November 1983 .... Himself

Further reading

* Bill Zehme (2001), "Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman", Delta Books. ISBN 0385333722
* Bob Zmuda (2001), "Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friends Tells All", Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316610984
* Julie Hecht (2001), "Was This Man a Genius? Talks with Andy Kaufman", Vintage Books. ISBN 0375504575

References

External links

* [http://subcin.com/tony.html The Tony Clifton Story] the "lost" Kaufman screenplay
* [http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/toc.htm Goofing On Elvis: The Short and Extraordinary Life of Andy Kaufman]
* [http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/death.htm Andy Kaufman's death certificate] "carcinoma, renal failure"
* [http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/kaufman.asp Snopes' report on his 'return']
* [http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/1299/zehme/transcript2.html Transcript: Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler on Letterman, 1982]
*imdb name|id=001412|name=Andy Kaufman
* [http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/aktime.htm The Kaufman Chronicles]
* [http://www.andylives.org Andy Lives]
* [http://www.welkmusicalfamily.com/kathielovesandy1.html Kathie loves Andy (fictional account inspired by the Andy Kaufman-Kathie Sullivan romance hoax)]
* [http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/biography.cgi?andykauf Andy Kaufman at the Other Arena]
* [http://www.memphisflyer.com/backissues/issue544/cvr544.htm "The Memphis Flyer": "We were Friends"] by Jackson Baker, 1999
*A Straight Dope column on Kaufman and the Tony Clifton character: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mandykaufman.htm]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1789 Find a Grave: Andy Kaufman]
* [http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/544255131b "Fridays" Incident Video]
* [http://www.dareland.com/emulsionalproblems/kaufman.htm WGA story on Andy Kaufman's Last Performance]