Editing Andy Kaufman (section)

==Career==
===Foreign Man and Mighty Mouse===
<blockquote>...Bijan Kimiachi, an Iranian immigrant who was Andy's roommate at the now defunct [[Grahm Junior College]] in Boston, who was, like him, studying television production (though he says here Andy was studying television performance). Kimiachi speaks with a marked accent—he says he had trouble speaking to people then, and also that he was probably Andy's only friend at that time. By the roommate's common consent, Andy adopted Bijan's accent (and perhaps his voice as well)<ref name="chrisknipp/TYVM-2023">{{cite web |last1=Knipp |first1=Chris |title=Alex Braverman: Thank You Very Much (2023) |url=https://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5560 |website=Chris Knipp • com |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref></blockquote>

Kaufman first received major attention for his character Foreign Man, who spoke in a meek, high-pitched, heavily accented voice and claimed to be from "Caspiar", a fictional island in the [[Caspian Sea]].<ref name="cabaret"/> As this character, Kaufman convinced [[Budd Friedman]], owner of the New York City comedy club [[The Improv]], to allow him to perform on stage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://improv.com/history/|title=History of the Improv|website=Improv}}</ref><ref name="zoglin">{{cite book|date=2008|last=Zoglin|first=Richard|title=Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America|url=https://archive.org/details/comedyatedgehows0000zogl|isbn=978-1582346243|publisher=Bloomsbury USA|access-date=August 3, 2016|url-access=registration}}</ref>

As Foreign Man, Kaufman appeared on stage at [[comedy club]]s, played a recording of the theme from the ''[[Mighty Mouse]]'' cartoon show while standing perfectly still, and [[lip sync|lip-synced]] only the line "Here I come to save the day", with great enthusiasm.<ref name="cnn2012"/> He proceeded to tell a few (intentionally poor) jokes and concluded his act with a series of celebrity [[impersonator|impersonations]], with the comedy arising from the character's obvious ineptitude at impersonation. For example, in his fake accent Kaufman announced to the audience, "I would like to imitate [[Jimmy Carter|Meester Carter]], de president of de United States" and then, in exactly the same voice, say "Hello, I am Meester Carter, de president of de United States. T'ank you veddy much." At some point in the performance, usually when the audience was conditioned to Foreign Man's inability to perform a convincing impression, Foreign Man would announce, "And now I would like to imitate the Elvis Presley", turn around, take off his jacket, slick his hair back, and launch into a rousing, hip-shaking rendition of Presley singing one of his hit songs. Like Presley, he took off his leather jacket during the song and threw it into the audience, but unlike Presley, Foreign Man immediately asked for it to be returned. After the song's finale, he would take a simple bow and say in his Foreign Man voice, "T'ank you veddy much."{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Parts of Kaufman's Foreign Man act were broadcast in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live''. The Mighty Mouse number was featured in the October 11, 1975, premiere, while the joke-telling and celebrity impressions (including Elvis) were included in the November 8 broadcast that same year.<ref name="snl-s1">''SNL: The Complete First Season, 1975–1976''. DVD recording.</ref>

===Latka===
{{Main|Latka Gravas}}
[[File:Andy Kaufman and Carol Kane 1982.jpg|thumb|alt=A black-and-white photo of Kaufman embracing Kane and the two looking toward the camera|Kaufman with [[Carol Kane]] in a promotional picture of ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', 1982]]
The Foreign Man character was changed into Latka Gravas for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s sitcom ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', appearing in 79 of 114 episodes in 1978–83.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} [[Bob Zmuda]] confirms this: "They basically were buying Andy's Foreign Man character for the ''Taxi'' character Latka."<ref name="oral">[http://www.bluedonut.com/ak.htm "Andy Kaufman Oral History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206215413/http://www.bluedonut.com/ak.htm |date=December 6, 2006 }}, interviews with Don Steinberg, originally published in short form in ''GQ Magazine'', December 1999.</ref> Kaufman's longtime manager [[George Shapiro]] encouraged him to take the gig.

Kaufman disliked sitcoms and was not happy with the idea of being in one, but Shapiro convinced him that it would quickly lead to stardom, which would earn him money he could then put into his own act.{{citation needed |date=June 2022}} Kaufman agreed to appear in 14 episodes per season, and he initially wanted four for Kaufman's alter ego [[Tony Clifton]]. After Kaufman deliberately sabotaged Clifton's appearance on the show, however, that part of his contract was dropped.<ref name="clifton">{{cite news |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=May 23, 1984 |title=Kaufman's many faces made him one of a kind |url= |access-date= |newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]] |id=[[GenealogyBank]] [https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1477BBDEA50EB75C%40GB3NEWS-160730C5D5B3ACAC%402445844-16072A146618F24B%4064-16072A146618F24B%40?h=1&lname=%22many%20faces%20made%20him%20one%20of%20a%20kind%22&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc=&sid= v2:1477BBDEA50EB75C@GB3NEWS-160730C5D5B3ACAC@2445844-16072A146618F24B@64-16072A146618F24B@] (quasi-accessed November 28, 2024: [https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/newspapers/all/usa/wisconsin/milwaukee/milwaukee-journal?lname=%22many%20faces%20made%20him%20one%20of%20a%20kind%22&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc= search query], [https://infoweb1.newsbank.com/maximus/cache/0/snippets/bitonal_tiff_g4/160730C5D5B3ACAC/16072A146618F24B/sn_highlight_FFFF00_16072A146618F24B_1141_275_2282_138_30_230_230.png preview image]). [[Google News Archive]] [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19840523&id=gWoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7154,1748529&hl=en nid=1499&dat=19840523&id=gWoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7154,1748529] (accessed July 13, 2016).}}</ref>

His character was given [[multiple personality disorder]], which allowed Kaufman to randomly portray other characters. In one episode of ''Taxi'', Kaufman's character came down with a condition that made him act like [[Alex Rieger]], the main character played by [[Judd Hirsch]]. Another such recurring character played by Kaufman was Latka's womanizing alter ego Vic Ferrari.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0718495 ''Taxi'' (Season 3, Episode 20, "Latka the Playboy")], imdb.com; accessed January 28, 2017.</ref>

[[Sam Simon]], who early in his career was a writer and later [[showrunner]] for ''Taxi'', stated in a 2013 interview on Marc Maron's [[WTF with Marc Maron|''WTF'' podcast]] that the story of Kaufman having been generally disruptive on the show was "a complete fiction" largely created by Zmuda. Simon maintained that Zmuda has a vested interest in promoting an out-of-control image of Kaufman. In the interview Simon stated that Kaufman was "completely professional" and that he "told you Tony Clifton was him", but he also conceded that Kaufman would have "loved" Zmuda's version of events.<ref>[[Maron, Marc]] (May 16, 2013). [http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_389_-_sam_simon "Episode 389&nbsp;– Sam Simon"], WTFPod.com; accessed January 28, 2017.</ref>

Kaufman was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor&nbsp;– Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television]] for ''Taxi'' in 1979 and 1981.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Globe Awards: Winners & Nominees|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/andy-kaufman|publisher=GoldenGlobes.com|access-date=October 7, 2016}}</ref>

===Tony Clifton===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2017}}
{{Main|Tony Clifton}}
Another well-known Kaufman character is Tony Clifton, an absurd, audience-abusing [[lounge singer]] who began opening for Kaufman at comedy clubs and eventually even performed concerts on his own around the country. Sometimes it was Kaufman performing as Clifton, sometimes it was his brother Michael or Zmuda. For a brief time, it was unclear to some that Clifton was not a real person. News programs interviewed Clifton as Kaufman's opening act, with the mood turning ugly whenever Kaufman's name came up. Kaufman, Clifton insisted, was attempting to ruin Clifton's "good name" in order to make money and become famous.

As a requirement for Kaufman's accepting the offer to star on ''Taxi'', he insisted that Clifton be hired for a guest role on the show as if he were a real person, not a character.<ref name="clifton"/> After throwing a tantrum on the set, Clifton was fired and escorted from the studio lot by security guards. Much to Kaufman's delight, this incident was reported in the local newspapers.<ref name="standup">{{cite book|date=2009|last=Knoedelseder|first=William|title=I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era|isbn=9781586483173|publisher=PublicAffairs|url=https://archive.org/details/imdyingupherehea00knoe}}</ref>

===''Saturday Night Live'' Elvis sketch incident===
{{See also|Albert Goldman#Elvis Presley biography}}
On the January 30, 1982, episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', while impersonating Elvis Presley in a sketch, Kaufman broke character by removing his wig and apologizing to the audience.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Saturday Night Live |date=January 30, 1982 |season=7 |number=10 |url=https://archive.org/details/saturday-night-live-s-07-e-10-john-madden-jennifer-holliday |title=Saturday Night Live S07E10 – John Madden}}</ref>

Kaufman explained this incident on the February 17, 1982, episode of ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]''. He said that he had apologized because he disagreed with how Presley was portrayed in the sketch, which involved Presley instructing two young women from his audience to visit him backstage, where they would wrestle topless in mud. Kaufman said that he had initially declined to perform the sketch but was pressured into it. He also alleged that ''SNL'' staff threatened to ruin his reputation in the industry if he did not perform the sketch.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Late Night with David Letterman |date=February 17, 1982 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbBQTfSzwBQ |title=Andy Kaufman on Letterman, February 17, 1982}}</ref>

The sketch was a reference to an incident alleged by [[Albert Goldman]]'s controversial 1981 biography of Presley. Critics of the biography derided its scornful tone and charged that it was intended as an exposé. Kaufman said that Goldman threatened to sue him after the episode aired, but Kaufman challenged Goldman to a public debate on Presley's character.<ref>See [http://home.online.no/~ov-egela/careless.html Jonathan Yardley, "CARELESS LOVE: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930075214/http://home.online.no/~ov-egela/careless.html|date=September 30, 2008}}.</ref><ref>See [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674194229 Greil Marcus, "THE ABSENCE OF ELVIS: The Myth Behind the Truth Behind the Legend"]</ref>

===Carnegie Hall show===
At the beginning of an April 1979 performance at New York's [[Carnegie Hall]], Kaufman invited his "grandmother" to watch the show from a chair that he had placed at the side of the stage. At the end of the show, she stood, removed her mask, and revealed to the audience that she was actually comedian [[Robin Williams]].<ref>{{cite news|date=April 28, 1979|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Comedy: Andy Kaufman Fills Stage With Parade of Odd Characters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/28/archives/comedy-andy-kaufman-fills-stage-with-parade-of-odd-characters.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref>

Kaufman also had an elderly woman (Eleanor Cody Gould) pretend to have a heart attack and die on stage, after which he reappeared on stage wearing a Native American [[headdress]] and performing a dance over her body, "reviving" her.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shackett|first=Barbara|date=2013|title=Stranded in Montana; Dumped in Arizona|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jnL3GnL3HfQC&q=eleanor+cody+gould+andy+kaufman&pg=PA81|publisher=Dorrance Publishing|isbn=9781434928559|access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost1979">{{cite news|date=July 1, 1979|last=Carter|first=Betsy|title=Hide-'n'-seek in Andy Kaufman's fun house|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hide-n-seek-in-andy-kaufmans-fun-house/2014/10/06/e2e03928-4d93-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref>

Kaufman ended the show by taking the entire audience, in 24 buses, for milk and cookies. He invited anyone interested to meet him on the [[Staten Island Ferry]] the next morning, where the show continued.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 28, 1979|title=Comic Encore: Milk, Cookies For Audience|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19790427&id=Vr4yAAAAIBAJ&pg=7011,1562422&hl=en|newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen|access-date=July 6, 2016}}</ref>

===TV specials===
The ''Taxi'' deal with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] included a television special/pilot for Kaufman. He proposed ''Andy's Funhouse'', based on a routine that he had developed while in junior college. The special was taped in 1977 but did not air until August 1979. It featured most of Andy's famous gags, including Foreign Man/Latka and his Elvis Presley impersonation, as well as a host of unique segments (including a special appearance by children's television character [[Howdy Doody]] and the "Has-been Corner").<ref>{{cite news|date=August 28, 1979|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=TV: A 90-Minute Special With Andy Kaufman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/28/archives/tv-a-90minute-special-with-andy-kaufman.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> The program also included a segment with fake television screen static as part of the gag, although ABC executives feared that viewers would mistake the static for broadcast problems and would change the channel—which was the comic element that Kaufman wanted to present.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 3, 1989|last=Wickstrom|first=Andy|title=Andy Kaufman Still Surprises in a 1977 Video|url=http://articles.philly.com/1989-08-03/entertainment/26147012_1_latka-gravas-andy-kaufman-foreigner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912033128/http://articles.philly.com/1989-08-03/entertainment/26147012_1_latka-gravas-andy-kaufman-foreigner|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 12, 2015|website=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|access-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref> ''Andy's Funhouse'' was written by Kaufman, Zmuda and Mel Sherer, with music by Kaufman.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 22, 2013|last=Elisberg|first=Robert J.|title=Pal Mel|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-elisberg/pal-mel_b_3319754.html|website=[[The Huffington Post]]|access-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref>

In March 1980, Kaufman filmed a short segment for an ABC show called ''Buckshot.'' The segment was just over six minutes long and was called ''Uncle Andy's Funhouse''. It featured Kaufman as the host of a children's show for adults, complete with a [[peanut gallery]] and Tony Clifton puppet.<ref name="uncleandy">{{cite news |last=Arnott |first=Susan L. |date=July 18, 1980 |title=The Television Picture: What's Special... |url= |access-date= |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |id=[[GenealogyBank]] [https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1477BBDEA50EB75C%40GB3NEWS-16087D7922406C65%402444439-1606872921C1B6BC%4052-1606872921C1B6BC%40?h=5&fname=Andy&lname=Kaufman&kwinc=&kwexc=&rgfromDate=1980&rgtoDate=1980&formDate=07/18/1980&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&processingtime=&addedFrom=&addedTo=&sid= v2:1477BBDEA50EB75C@GB3NEWS-16087D7922406C65@2444439-1606872921C1B6BC@52-1606872921C1B6BC@] (quasi-accessed November 28, 2024: [https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/newspapers/all/usa/wisconsin/milwaukee/milwaukee-journal?fname=Andy&lname=Kaufman&kwinc=&kwexc=&rgfromDate=1980&rgtoDate=1980&formDate=07%2F18%2F1980&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&processingtime=&addedFrom=&addedTo= search query], [https://infoweb1.newsbank.com/maximus/cache/0/snippets/bitonal_tiff_g4/16087D7922406C65/1606872921C1B6BC/sn_highlight_FFFF00_1606872921C1B6BC_2795_601_93_34_30_230_230.png preview image]). [[Google News Archive]] [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19800718&id=JiEqAAAAIBAJ&pg=6782,4112414&hl=en nid=1499&dat=19800718&id=JiEqAAAAIBAJ&pg=6782,4112414] (accessed July 13, 2016).}}</ref>

In 1983, a show very similar to ''Andy's Funhouse'' and ''Uncle Andy's Funhouse'' was filmed for [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]'s [[Soundstage (TV series)|SoundStage]] program called ''The Andy Kaufman Show''. It too featured a peanut gallery, and [[cold open|opened in the middle]] of an interview in which Kaufman was laughing hysterically. He then proceeded to thank the audience for watching and the credits rolled.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

===''Fridays'' incidents===
In 1981, Kaufman made three appearances on ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'', a variety show on ABC that was similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. In the last sketch on his first appearance, the cast were to deliberately break the scene and improvise an argument.<ref name="Chartoff">{{cite web|date=July 28, 2007|last=Chartoff|first=Melanie|title=An Andy Kaufman Story&nbsp;– What really happened on that infamous episode of "Fridays"? An insider finally reveals the truth|url=http://www.aish.com/j/f/48954246.html|website=aish.com|access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> Kaufman broke character first, announcing that he "felt stupid" and refusing to say his lines.<ref>{{cite news|date=February 24, 1981|last=Schwartz|first=Tony|title=Was 'Fight' on TV Real or Staged? It All Depends|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/24/arts/was-fight-on-tv-real-or-staged-it-all-depends.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> In response, cast member [[Michael Richards]] walked off camera, returned with a set of cue cards, and dumped them on the table in front of Kaufman, who responded by splashing Richards with water. Coproducer [[Jack Burns]] stormed onto the stage, leading to a fake brawl on camera before the show cut to a commercial.<ref>{{cite video|url=http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/544255131b|title=Andy Kaufman on Fridays from FridaysFan|publisher=Funnyordie.com|date=February 11, 2008|access-date=February 10, 2010}}</ref>

Richards claimed that what was going to happen was known only to him, Burns and Kaufman,<ref>[http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/michael-richards-2 "Michael Richards 'Speaking Freely' transcript"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808113050/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/michael-richards-2 |date=August 8, 2014 }}; recorded February 28, 2002, in Aspen, Colorado. Firstamendmentcenter.org (February 28, 2002); retrieved October 30, 2016.</ref> but [[Melanie Chartoff]], who played Kaufman's wife in the sketch, said that just before airtime Burns told her, Richards, and [[Maryedith Burrell]] that Kaufman was going to break the [[fourth wall]].<ref name="Chartoff" />

Kaufman appeared the next week in a videotaped "apology" to the home viewers. Later that year, he returned to host ''Fridays''. At one point during the show, he invited ''[[Lawrence Welk Show]]'' singer [[Kathie Sullivan]] to the stage to sing some gospel songs with him and announced that the two were engaged to be married. He then talked to the audience about his newfound faith in Jesus (Kaufman was Jewish), but the scene was a hoax.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-60822022|title=Kaufman Was My Hoax Fiance; The Taxi star pulled some of the funniest stunts on US TV, but his fake engagement fooled the world|last=Burton|first=Alex|date=February 25, 2000|work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|access-date=January 1, 2014|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212163619/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-60822022/kaufman-was-my-hoax-fiance-the-taxi-star-pulled-some|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later, following a sketch about a drug-abusing pharmacist, instead of introducing [[The Pretenders|Pretenders]], he delivered a nervous speech about the harmfulness of drugs while the band stood behind him ready to play. After his speech, he informed the audience that he had talked too long and that the show needed to pause for a commercial break.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

===Appearances===
Although Kaufman made a name for himself as a guest on [[NBC]]'s ''Saturday Night Live'', his first prime-time appearances were several guest spots as Foreign Man on the [[Dick Van Dyke]] variety show ''[[Van Dyke and Company]]'' in 1976.<ref name="vandyke">{{cite news|date=September 20, 1976|last=Sharbutt|first=Jay|title=Van Dyke springs hour of lunacy|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19760920&id=4rYrAAAAIBAJ&pg=6644,3134911|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> He appeared four times on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|The Tonight Show]]'' in 1976–78, with Foreign Man doing his imitation of [[Johnny Carson]]'s sidekick [[Ed McMahon]], with no change in voice: "Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. How hot ''was'' eet. Ha ha ha." Kaufman also appeared three times on NBC's late-night concert series ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]'' in 1972, 1977, and 1981.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://comedy-and-humor.com/andy-kaufman/|title=Andy Kaufman – Comedy and Humor|work=Comedy and Humor|access-date=November 13, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Kaufman appeared on ''[[The Dating Game]]'' in 1978, in character as Foreign Man, and cried when the bachelorette chose Bachelor #1, protesting that he had answered all the questions correctly.<ref>{{Citation|title=Andy Kaufman en The Dating Game (1978) (Subtitulado)|date=April 8, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUUZNGbpc84|access-date=November 25, 2017}}</ref>

His ''SNL'' appearances started with the [[Saturday Night Live season 1|first show, on October 11, 1975]]. He made 16 ''SNL'' appearances in all, doing routines from his comedy act, such as the Mighty Mouse singalong, Foreign Man, and the Elvis impersonation. After he angered the audience with his female-wrestling routine, executive producer Dick Ebersol announced on the show that viewers would be allowed to decide Kaufman's fate. On the November 20, 1982, episode, ''SNL'' held a phone vote, and 195,544 people voted to "Dump Andy" while 169,186 people voted to "Keep Andy".<ref name="passion_tally">{{cite video|people=Alan Graham (producer)|date=February 21, 2008|title=The Passion of Andy Kaufman|url=http://www.stickam.com/subcin|format=[[SWF]]|medium=Archive footage|publisher=Subterranean Cinema|access-date=March 20, 2008|time=2:20:00|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005174736/http://www.stickam.com/subcin|archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref>

During the ''SNL'' episode with the phone poll, many of the cast members stated their admiration for Kaufman's work. After [[Eddie Murphy]] read both numbers, he said, "Now, Andy Kaufman is a friend of mine. Keep that in mind when you call. I don't want to have to punch nobody in America in the face", and [[Mary Gross]] read the Dump Andy phone number at a rate so fast that audiences were unable to catch it. The final tally was read by [[Gary Kroeger]] to a cheering audience. As the credits rolled, announcer [[Don Pardo]] said, "This is Don Pardo saying, 'I voted for Andy Kaufman.'"<ref name="passion">{{cite video|people=Alan Graham (producer)|date=February 21, 2008|title=The Passion of Andy Kaufman|url=http://www.stickam.com/subcin|format=[[SWF]]|medium=Archive footage|publisher=Subterranean Cinema|access-date=March 20, 2008|time=2:10:55–2:20:33|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005174736/http://www.stickam.com/subcin|archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref>

Following the poll results, Kaufman made one more appearance on the show via a prerecorded 30-second message on [[Weekend Update]] (then called "Saturday Night News"). In the message, Kaufman expressed his gratitude for being on the show and said he had resorted to buying time on low-rated independent TV stations to be heard. After wrapping up, anchorman [[Brad Hall]] said, "It's pretty sad. NBC would like to announce that not only is Kaufman still banned from this show, but he now owes the NBC television network several thousand dollars and some change." This was Kaufman's last appearance on the show.

Kaufman made a number of appearances on the daytime edition of ''[[The David Letterman Show]]'' in 1980, and 11 appearances on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' in 1982–83. He made numerous guest spots on other television programs hosted by or starring celebrities like [[Johnny Cash]] (1979 Christmas special),<ref name="johnny">{{cite news|date=December 2, 1979|title=Whole Family Joins Johnny For Special|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19791202&id=DlQgAAAAIBAJ&pg=3718,885757|newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Dick Van Dyke]],<ref name="vandyke"/> [[Dinah Shore]],<ref>{{cite news|date=November 13, 1979|last=Sasso|first=Joey|title=TV Ticker|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19791113&id=OVgaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5506,2044050|newspaper=The Times-News|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Rodney Dangerfield]],<ref>{{cite news|date=November 29, 1983|last=Sherwood|first=Rick|title=Dangerfield gets respect|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19831129&id=k0hOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6905,7786640|newspaper=Star-News|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Cher]],<ref>{{cite news|date=March 7, 1979|last=Winfrey|first=Lee|title=Cher's picking up pieces after 2 broken marriages|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19790307&id=-YgxAAAAIBAJ&pg=6965,3347521|newspaper=[[The Montreal Gazette]]|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Dean Martin]],<ref>{{cite news|date=June 6, 1974|title="Comedy World" Premieres|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19740606&id=48JaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976,1711999|newspaper=The Evening Independent|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Redd Foxx]],<ref name="nytimesobituary"/> [[Mike Douglas]],<ref name="nytimesobituary"/> [[Dick Clark]],<ref>{{cite web|date=November 25, 1978|title=Connie Francis Makes Rare Appearance|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19781125&id=IIYsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4436,5857449|publisher=The Herald-Journal|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> and [[Joe Franklin]].<ref>{{cite web|date=February 2, 2015|last=Cattuna|first=Emily|title=Remember When: Mourning the loss of radio and TV pioneer Joe Franklin|url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/02/remember_when_mourning_the_loss_of_radio_and_tv_pi.html|website=nj.com|access-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref>

He appeared in his first theatrical film, ''[[God Told Me To]]'', in 1976, in which he portrayed a murderous policeman.<ref>{{cite news|date=March 14, 2014|last=Dowd|first=A.A.|title=Larry Cohen's God is a deranged God|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/larry-cohens-god-deranged-god-202176|newspaper=A.V. Club|access-date=July 11, 2016}}</ref> He appeared in two other theatrical films, including the 1980 film ''[[In God We Tru$t]]'', in which he played a [[televangelist]],<ref>{{cite news|date=September 26, 1980|last=Corry|first=John|title=A Monk Meets Huckster and God|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EFDE1538F935A1575AC0A966948260|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 11, 2016}}</ref> and the 1981 film ''[[Heartbeeps]]'', in which he played a robot.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Stacy Jenel|date=January 2, 1982|title=Andy Kaufman: His Humor is Frustrating, Strange|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19820101&id=YBlbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4073,453435&hl=en|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>

[[Laurie Anderson]] worked alongside Kaufman for a time in the 1970s, acting as a sort of "straight man" in a number of his [[Manhattan]] and [[Coney Island]] performances. One of these performances included getting on a ride that people stand in and get spun around. After everyone was strapped in, Kaufman would start saying how he did not want to be on the ride in a panicked tone and eventually cry. Anderson later described these performances in her 1995 album, ''[[The Ugly One with the Jewels]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 2012|last=Stern|first=Amanda|title=Laurie Anderson|url=http://www.believermag.com/issues/201201/?read=interview_anderson|publisher=The Believer|access-date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>

In 1983, Kaufman appeared on Broadway with [[Deborah Harry]] in the play ''[[Trafford Tanzi|Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 8, 2007|last=Del Signore|first=John|title=Deborah Harry, Recording Artist|url=http://gothamist.com/2007/11/08/deborah_harry_r.php|publisher=[[Gothamist]]|access-date=July 13, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714180040/http://gothamist.com/2007/11/08/deborah_harry_r.php|archive-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=April 21, 1983|last=Rich|first=Frank|title=Stage: "Teaneck Tanzi", Comedy from Britain|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/21/theater/stage-teaneck-tanzi-comedy-from-britain.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref> It closed after just two performances.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 22, 1983|title="Teaneck Tanzi" Closes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/22/theater/teaneck-tanzi-closes.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|date=2016|last=Dietz|first=Dan|title=The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ux5UCwAAQBAJ&q=dan+dietz+teaneck+tanzi&pg=PA170|isbn=9781442260917|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref>