More a provocateur than a comic, he seemed as surprised as anyone that he was getting away with the little bit of talent that he possessed.  Comedy was the door he entered through but he was really just a professional shit disturber who went way, way further than the likes of a Marilyn Manson or a Clifford Irving.  Howard Stern is his cultural offspring.

Might be one of the most shockingly overrated 'comedians' ever.

Far from being an innovative comedic genius, this guy was a middle of the road comic who derived a lot of his bits from earlier, better comics (notably Sid Caesar) and once in a while hit one out of the park.

Never did a comic deserve iconic status less.

A very strange comic who was quite possibly insane. His routines were totally unpredictable and often edgy. His best work were his appearances on SNL. I also liked Latka on Taxi. Maybe someday we will appreciate what he was trying to do with the lady wrestling, the Lawler feud, and many others. Well he was certainly an original. RIP Andy.

there will never be another one like him, thank god. One Andy was enough, another would be obnoxious.

A middle of the road comedian whose best work was not really stand up, but on Taxi. Was good for a change of pace, but not up to par with the more notable comedians.

not impressed

original. challenging. fun. innocent. sophisticated yet simple. wish somebody new would have as much fun as andy must have had entertaining us. in my top 10 ever.

I know there are people who consider him a genius, or a groundbreaking comic, but I just never got it. Compared to Lenny Bruce or George Carlin or Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman's a genius? OK, maybe I'm obtuse, but what exactly is it I'm missing? Weird, ethnic-sounding gibberish? Didn't Sid Caesar do that, and do it much more inventively, decades ago? Some of the wrestling stuff rated a guffaw, but that's about it. It was hardly the stuff of classic comedy. I don't think he was very funny at all, much less a genius. I don't mean to denigrate the guy...I'm sure he was a very nice person in his real life...but to me he was, at best, a novelty act.

Made my stomach churn, what an unfunny idiot......

too weird for my tastes

I can respect him for whatever it was that he did. He was truly an original. But in this forum we are rating 'comedians' and what he did was not 'comedy'. His contempt for the audience was unbelievable, things like showing up with a sleeping bag and falling asleep on stage, or reading the Great Gatsby to people who are expecting some kind of humour. Maybe he was justified in playing these kinds of jokes on the people, demonstrating the inherent stupidity of the American people, but I find it the kind of elitist nonsense that I have always hated in supposed 'intellectuals.' He gets more than one star only because I like how he never broke character, except that once on the Friday Night show - to complain about how stupid he felt doing the skit - which was merely a spoiled little crybaby trying to draw all attention to himself while ignoring the feelings of his fellow cast members. Damnit, I'm taking one star off. He gets one star.

A rare original in showbiz and that is saying something.

Is there a fine line between a genius who plays a fool who can make us laugh at ourselves and an opportunist who does dumb things on stage? NO!

This guy really knew how to invoke emotion in an audience. He loved playing the bad guy. People may forget but he had a great feud with legendar wrestler and now WWF commentator Jerry Lawler. He incited the fans of Memphis,TN (Lawler's home) and raised a ruckus. However, Lawler destroyed him. He also played a variety of characters some nice and some not so nice. This guy was a genius in my ways.

Micheal Stipe liked him, so he must be good. If you haven't seen the movie "Man on the Moon", see it! Andy was absolutely hilarious, I love that drum thing he did! Lyric(s) of the day: Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me are you locked in the punch? Andy are you goofing on Elvis (hey baby)? Are you having fun? Describes my feelings toward Andy perfectly! Even when he had cancer, he was still funny (and in some people's opinions, cute :-) Anyway, we miss you Andy! XOX.

It is often debated whether or not Andy Kaufman was a comedian, he himself said that he was merely an entertainer. To me this is not an issue, based purely on the fact that Andy was one of comedy's greats. It's as simple as that. Watch "Man on The Moon" an Oscar snubbed, and underrated documentary-comedy about Andy, this should shed some light on the subject.

He had a unique style and kept everyone on the edge. He's also one of the greatest put-on artists ever. His ability to fool everyone was his greatest skill.

or is it Tony Clifton??

Andy Kaufman does know how to make people laugh, but his humor got outdated in his last years living. He was kind of unstable, and weak. But, in his early years he was extremly funny and winning in his roles on and off the stage.

He was weird but another true original. Loved him on "Taxi" when he did the Vic Ferrari routine and on SNL when he sang the Mighty Mouse theme. Not too crazy about the lame wrestling women thing.

A truly funny man, however, the God awful Jim Carrey movie made him look like a lame teddy bear. I think Kaufman had to be at least a little bit insane.

Andy Kaufman lived comedy. His entire life was always under suspicion of being a put-on. Most people thought his death was a gag. That's hard to do.

I definitely didn't get everything he did, but I always laugh when I see the old clips. He was one weird dude.