Premise: Andrew G. Kaufman ( January 17 , 1949 -- May 16 , 1984 ) was an American entertainer , actor , writer , performance artist and professional wrestler . During this time , he continued to tour comedy clubs and theaters in a series of unique performance art / comedy shows , sometimes appearing as himself and sometimes as obnoxiously rude lounge singer Tony Clifton .
Hypothesis: Andy Kaufman was a performance artist and gained acclaim.
Label: NEUTRAL