Andy Kaufman

[Andy Kauffman Gallery]

Career Highlights

• Andy Kaufman was a popular entertainer and comedian in 70s & 80s who was known for his unorthadox methods..
• Andy Kaufman is most often associated with Latka Gravas, a character he played on the sitcom “Taxi”..
• 1978: Andy Kaufman began wrestling women on talk shows, calling himself the Inter-gender Wrestling Champion..
• ~~~Andy would offer prizes ($1000 for example) to any woman who could beat him in the ring, but none could pin his shoulders..
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~One time he even offered that if any woman beat him that he would marry her and shave his head completely bald..
• During one of Andy’s inter-gender matches, Kaufman was confronted by Memphis hero, Jerry “The King” Lawler..
• Jerry “The King” Lawler challenged Andy Kaufman to a wrestling match, an offer Kaufman initially declined..
• Andy Kaufman was billed from Hollywood, California and became the most hated man on the Memphis circuit..
• April 5, 1982 – Memphis: Andy Kaufman defeated Jerry Lawler by DQ when Lawler used the outlawed Piledriver!
• ~~~Jerry Lawler delivered two stiff pile-drivers, putting Andy Kauffman in the hospital with a “broken neck”..
• ~~~Kaufman said he suffered an injury, a claim that is widely suspected to be a hoax perpetrated by Kaufman..
• July 29, 1982: Andy Kaufman tried to apologize to Jerry “The King” Lawler on The Late Show with David Letterman..
• ~~~Jerry “The King” Lawler refused to accept the apology and stood up and slapped Andy Kaufman across the face!
• ~~~~~~Andy Kaufman retaliated by throwing a cup of hot coffee at Jerry Lawler and shouting obscenities at him!
• May 16, 1984: Andy Kaufman died at age 35 of a rare form of lung cancer..
• ~~~Andy Kauffman often said he wanted to fake his own death which led people to believe this was a hoax…
• 1999: Man on the Moon, a Hollywood movie starring Jim Carrey about the life of Andy Kaufman is released..
• ~~~Part of the movie covered Andy’s time in wrestling and revealed that his feud with The King was a work..