The inspired lunacy of Andy Kaufman "pushed the envelope" of comedy way beyond the old line that had... (Learn more)
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Andy Kaufman’s Milestones
| Began doing stand-up at Friedman's NYC and Los Angeles clubs | |
| Began performing for family as a child | |
| Met Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke who encouraged their manager George Shapiro to represent him | |
| Raised in Great Neck on Long Island, NY | |
| 1958 | At age nine, started performing at children's parties (date approximate) |
| 1962 | Auditioned for Budd Friedman, the owner and operator of The IMPROV; failed audition |
| 1970 | While attending Grahm Junior College, wrote. produced and directed the campus TV show "Uncle Andy's Funhouse" |
| 1971 | "Discovered" by IMPROVisation Comedy Club owner Budd Friedman (who did not remember his 1962 audition) while performing stand-up at My Father's Place, a Long Island rock club |
| 1975 | Made first of 14 appearances on "Saturday Night Live" on October 11; lip-synched the theme to Mighty Mouse |
| 1975 | NBC executive Dick Ebersol caught his act in Los Angeles and asked him to audition for what would become "Saturday Night Live" |
| 1976 | Feature film debut in the small role of a psychotic assassin cop in "God Told Me To/Demon" |
| 1976 | Was a regular on the short-lived NBC variety series "Van Dyke and Co"; "unscheduled" appearances during the middle of Van Dyke's sketches became an instant favorite; 'Foreign Man' to Elvis transformation stunned studio and TV audience |
| 1977 | Headlined the ABC special "Andy's Funhouse"; aired in 1979 as a late-night 90-minute special |
| 1977 | Played the role of Andy the robot helper in a space-age comedy TV pilot, "Stick Around" (ABC) |
| 1978 - 1983 | Co-starred as Latka Gravas on the sitcom "Taxi" (ABC, 1978-1982; NBC 1982-1983) |
| 1979 | Began challenging women to wrestling matches as part of his act; self-proclaimed World Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion |
| 1979 | Headlined an appearance at NYC's Carnegie Hall; after the show invited audience to board buses and travel to a local school cafeteria for milk and cookies |
| 1980 | First major role in films, a televangelist (Armageddon T Thunderbird) in "In God We Tru$t", directed by Marty Feldman |
| 1981 | During a strike by film and TV writers, worked as a busboy at Jerry's Famous Deli in L.A. |
| 1981 | Engendered controversy for breaking the 'fourth wall' during a skit on the ABC late night show "Fridays"; questions about the validity of the ensuing scuffle remain (was it staged or was it real?); returned in September and was on his best behavior hosting the first show of its second season |
| 1981 | Starred opposite Bernadette Peters in the feature "Heartbeeps"; both played robots |
| 1982 | Confronted Lawler on "Late Night With David Letterman" in July |
| 1982 | First of ten appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman" (February) |
| 1982 | Made last live appearance on "Saturday Night Live"; phone-in viewer poll voted to ban him for life from ever appearing on the show again (November); he appeared via videotape (January 1983) thanking those who voted for him |
| 1982 | Seriously injured spine during a wrestling match with Jerry Lawler (April) |
| 1983 | Broadway acting debut as a wrestling referee in "Teaneck Tanzi, The Venus Flytrap", co-starring Deborah Harry |
| 1983 | Diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer |
| 1984 | Release of final film project, "My Breakfast With Blassie", a 60-minute video spoof of "My Dinner With Andre" |
| 1992 | The rock band REM saluted Kaufman with the song "Man on the Moon" |
| 1995 | NBC aired "A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman" |
| 1998 | Filming began on biopic "Man on the Moon", directed by Milos Forman and starring Jim Carrey |
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