Andy Kaufman

Adopted by another couple, his daughter Maria Bellu-Colonna later found out about her biological parents, and in 1992, she started a search for them and was reunited with her mother and relatives. Andy was also in a relationship with his co-actress Lynne Margulies, till his death.

He was a dedicated exponent of Transcendental Meditation and led a healthy lifestyle. It was ironic that he died of Lung cancer, when he abstained from smoking on all occasions.

Andy, the first child of Janice Bernstein and Stanley Kaufman, was born on January 17th, 1949, in New York and raised in the posh locality of Great Neck, Long Island.

Bitten by the entertainment bug, he began performing magic shows in the birthday parties of kids living in his locality, at the tender age of 8. He also staged the broadcast of a fictitious comedy show from his bedroom as a child.

He started his primary education at the ‘Saddle Rock Elementary’, but was later transferred to ‘Baker Hill Elementary school’, in 1956. A performance of the famous percussion player, Babtunde Olatunji, in his school, sparked his interest in learning to play Congas.

Andy attended the army recruitment camp, during the Vietnam War, after completing high school in 1967, but he was denied enlistment because of his poor performance in the psychological test.

Later he joined ‘Grahm Junior College’, located in Boston, to study television and radio production. As an undergrad, he starred in a comedy show titled ‘Uncle Andy’s Funhouse’, which he scripted, directed and even produced it himself.

Andy started his career as a stand-up comedian in various night clubs of Long Island, after graduating in 1971. Budd Friedman, founder of the ‘Improvisation Comedy Club’, who happened to be present during one of his gigs, recruited him for performing at the place.

Known for his unorthodox style, Andy would pique the interest of audiences and when they grow accustomed to his style and expect to see more, he would come up with something bizarre. In one such incident, he started reciting the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ aloud. The viewers, who were anticipating a prank, got tired of waiting and vacated the venue.

During his performances at the ‘Improv’ venues in Los Angeles and New York, his most famous comic portrayal was the character of ‘Foreign Man’, who supposedly hailed from the fictional island of Caspiar. The character would lip-sync the lines of a recording based on the cartoon the ‘Mighty Mouse’, and then crack a few jokes or imitate some celebrities.

In 1975, Andy auditioned for the comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’, as per the suggestion of television executive Dick Ebersol. His performance of the ‘Mighty Mouse’ impression was included in the ‘NBC’ premiere of the first season of the show. Depicting the character of a shady policeman, the next year, he made his cinematic debut next year through the movie ‘God Told Me To’.

As ‘Foreign Man’, he impersonated a number of celebrities, but his imitation of Elvis Presley became the highlight of the shows. The act became so popular that the ‘American Broadcasting Company’ approached Andy for the role of Latka Gravas in the 1978 sitcom titled ‘Taxi’.

All of Kauffman’s performances were hilarious and unique, but the character of Foreign Man which later inspired the character of Latka Gravas in the 1970s sitcom ‘Taxi’, is undeniably his best act. Though Andy was initially reluctant to be a part of the sitcom, the show earned him two ‘Golden Globe’ nominations and opened the gates of the television world for him.