Man on the Moon (1999)

The 1999 film follows comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman from his early club work through television fame and his role as Latka Gravas on Taxi. Miloš Forman directed the film, with Jim Carrey playing Kaufman. [Miloš Forman](https://milosforman.com/en/movies/man-on-the-moon)

Yes. The film dramatizes Kaufman's work on Taxi, where he played the foreign mechanic Latka Gravas, and Danny DeVito appears as Kaufman's manager George Shapiro. DeVito had also worked with the real Kaufman on Taxi. [Miloš Forman](https://milosforman.com/en/movies/man-on-the-moon)

Yes. Carrey also performs Kaufman's abrasive lounge-singer persona Tony Clifton, one of the film's most important examples of Kaufman's blurred line between performance and reality. The film treats Tony Clifton as part of Kaufman's public act rather than a separate historical person. [Miloš Forman](https://milosforman.com/en/movies/man-on-the-moon)

The title refers to the R.E.M. song Man on the Moon from the 1992 album Automatic for the People. The song itself references Andy Kaufman, so the film title connects Kaufman's career with a later musical tribute. [Miloš Forman](https://milosforman.com/en/movies/man-on-the-moon)