Andy Kaufman
Comedian / Actor
After appearing on the inaugural broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975, Andy Kaufman became nationally famous as a comedian who provoked nervous laughter, if any at all. He impersonated Elvis Presley, read aloud from The Great Gatsby until the audience left in disgust, or touted himself as an "Intergender Wrestling Champion," fighting mostly women in what were seemingly real matches. He also co-starred in the hit TV series Taxi. Because it was hard to tell when Kaufman was kidding, even the news of his unexpected death was met with some skepticism.Extra credit: Kaufman was played by comedian Jim Carrey in the 1999 film Man In the Moon.
Kaufman and Chris Farley are guest stars in our loop on the Saturday Night Live Curse.
Blog posts mentioning Andy Kaufman:
Four Good Links
Andy Kaufman Home Page
A great site, with all you need to know about Kaufman
A Hollywood Yankee in King Lawler's Court
1997 article about the "fight" between Kaufman and wrestler Jerry Lawler
Andy Kaufman Filmography
With a brief biography, from the Internet Movie Database
CAK's Andy Kaufman and the World
Link-loaded fan site that tries to cover all the bases
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
16 May 1984
(lung cancer, age 35)
Best Known As
Weirdo comedian extraordinaire
