Andy Kaufman Net Worth - Pulptastic

Publish date: 2024-05-13

What Was Andy Kaufman’s Net Worth?

Andy Kaufman: Entertainer and Performance Artist

Andy Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor, writer, producer, and performance artist who had a net worth equal to $3 million at the time of his death (after adjusting for inflation) in 1984.

Kaufman earned two Golden Globe nominations for his performance as Latka Gravas on the ABC/NBC sitcom “Taxi” (1978–1983). He was known for his Elvis Presley impersonation as well as characters such as Foreign Man and Tony Clifton.

Kaufman appeared in several films and television shows, including “God Told Me To” (1976), “In God We Tru$t” (1980), “Heartbeeps” (1981), “Van Dyke and Company” (1976), “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (1976–1978), and “Late Night with David Letterman” (1982–1983). He also wrote, produced, and starred in several specials.

Andy was also involved in professional wrestling, and he famously feuded with Jerry “The King” Lawler, culminating in a fight on “Late Night with David Letterman” in 1982. More than a decade after Kaufman’s death, it was revealed that the feud and the fights were fake.

Three books of Andy’s writings have been published since his death: “The Huey Williams Story” (1999), “God…and Other Plays” (2000), and “Poetry and Stories” (2000).

Kaufman was portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 1999 film “Man on the Moon,” and Carrey won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for the role.

Sadly, Andy died of lung cancer on May 16, 1984, at the age of 35. Over the years, there have been many rumors that Kaufman faked his own death.

Early Life and Career

Andy Kaufman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in a Jewish household in Great Neck, Long Island. He started performing at children’s parties at the age of 9 and enjoyed writing stories and poetry. Kaufman attended Great Neck North High School and later studied television production at Boston’s Grahm Junior College. He had his own campus TV show called “Uncle Andy’s Fun House.” In 1969, he hitchhiked to Las Vegas to meet Elvis Presley and gave him the manuscript of a book he’d written about him. Kaufman started developing his act and writing a one-man play entitled “Gosh” (later retitled “God”) and began performing comedy at small East Coast clubs after college.

Andy Kaufman’s Career Highlights

Andy Kaufman gained recognition for his character Foreign Man, which he performed at The Improv in New York City before playing it on the premiere of “Saturday Night Live” in October 1975. He joined the cast of “Taxi” in 1978 and earned Golden Globe nominations in 1979 and 1981 for his portrayal of Latka, a character based on Foreign Man.

Kaufman’s other popular character was lounge singer Tony Clifton, which was sometimes performed by his friend Bob Zmuda or his brother, Michael. He made his film debut in the 1976 sci-fi horror film “God Told Me To” and appeared in several other TV shows and movies, including “In God We Tru$t” (1980) and “Heartbeeps” (1981). His final film was 1983’s “My Breakfast with Blassie” in which he played himself alongside wrestler “Classy” Freddie Blassie.

Kaufman was also known for his controversial performances, including inviting Robin Williams to pretend to be his grandmother at Carnegie Hall, getting an elderly woman to fake a heart attack and pretending to revive her onstage, and taking his entire audience out for milk and cookies at the end of his shows. He briefly co-starred with Deborah Harry in the Broadway play “Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap” in 1983, which closed after two performances.

Andy Kaufman’s Personal Life

In 1969, Andy and his high school girlfriend had a baby and gave her up for adoption. Their daughter, Maria Bellu-Colonna, discovered that she was Kaufman’s child in 1992.

Kaufman studied Transcendental Meditation while he was in college and used it to build confidence and take his act to comedy clubs. He spent 3 hours a day doing yoga and meditating until the end of his life. In 1971, he went to Spain and trained to become a teacher in Transcendental Meditation.

In 1982, Kaufman began a relationship with Lynne Margulies after meeting on the set of the film “My Breakfast with Blassie.” They remained together until his death. Margulies directed 1989’s “I’m from Hollywood,” a Kaufman wrestling compilation, and she published a book of hundreds of angry letters that had been sent to him titled “Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!” in 2009. Lynne also co-wrote the 2014 book “Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally” with Bob Zmuda.

Andy Kaufman’s Battle with Cancer and Death

During Thanksgiving in 1983, Kaufman’s relatives expressed concern about his coughing, but he reassured them that his doctor had said nothing was wrong. However, tests at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center revealed large-cell carcinoma of the lung. After palliative radiotherapy, the cancer spread to his brain, and he made his last public appearance in March 1984. Kaufman then traveled to the Philippines for pseudoscientific psychic surgery but ultimately passed away in May 1984 at the age of 35.

Despite rumors that he faked his death, Jim Carrey revealed on a 1995 NBC special that Bob Zmuda had been playing Kaufman’s character Tony Clifton. In 2013, an actress claimed to be his daughter and suggested he was still alive, but the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office re-released his death certificate, confirming he was buried at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.

Golden Globe nominations and other awards

Andy Kaufman received two Golden Globe nominations for his work on “Taxi,” earning Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television Series in 1979 and Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television in 1981. He was also posthumously awarded a Golden Prize Alien at the 2013 Independent Video Film Festival of Youtube Art Club Pavlos Paraschakis. Additionally, Kaufman earned TV Land Award nominations for Most Wonderful Wedding (shared with Carol Kane) for “Taxi” in 2006 and Favorite Elvis Impersonation for “Saturday Night Live” in 2007.

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