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Andy Kaufman

Comedy history · 13 facts, each from at least two of 12 independent sources · last reviewed 2026-10-17

Andy Kaufman was a comedian whose life spanned 1949 to 1984.1,2,3,4,5 A native of New York, he developed stage characters that included Foreign Man and an alter ego called Tony Clifton.1,2,6,7 The 1999 film Man on the Moon tells his story.4,7,8

Early life

Kaufman grew up in Great Neck, a community on Long Island, New York.1,2

Characters and impersonations

One of his personas was Tony Clifton, a vulgar, profane lounge singer whose act was built on insulting people.1,7 Kaufman also did an Elvis Presley impersonation as part of his performances.1,2,9,10 Presley himself is said to have named Kaufman as the impersonator he liked best.2,11

Television work

His Foreign Man persona later developed into the role of Latka Gravas on the series Taxi.1,2 Kaufman was a regular or semiregular presence on Saturday Night Live, and he appeared on that program in 1982.1,4,10

Death

Kaufman died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital on May 16, 1984.2,3,4,12

Sources

  1. Andy Kaufman 1949-1984 : People.com (people.com) · archived copy
  2. Andy Kaufman - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - The New York Times (nytimes.com) · archived copy
  3. The Seattle Times: Sports: Squiggy is in the house: 'Laverne and Shirley' star now M's scout (seattletimes.com) · archived copy
  4. Friend: Andy Kaufman is still alive | New York Post (nypost.com)
  5. R.E.M., Automatic For The People (rollingstone.com)
  6. The Great Ruse: The comedic genius who rocked wrestling | CNN (cnn.com)
  7. The Creative Genius That Both “Man on the Moon” and “Jim & Andy” Missed | The New Yorker (newyorker.com)
  8. Andy Kaufman to Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame (variety.com)
  9. Jerry Lawler: Why his Andy Kaufman wrestling match resonated - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
  10. Andy Kaufman Still Surprises In A 1977 Video - philly-archives (philly.com) · archived copy
  11. Andy Kaufman | The Official Site (andykaufman.com) · archived copy
  12. Andy Kaufman's Hangin' With Elvis | The Smoking Gun (thesmokinggun.com)

Updated November 12, 2026.

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