Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Lloyd Kaufman is the gleefully gross-out patron saint of American independent cinema. With Troma and The Toxic Avenger he built an empire out of cheap gore, crude satire, and an anarchic do-it-yourself spirit that gave countless future filmmakers their first break. What I respect is that beneath the schlock is a sharp, Yale-educated mind genuinely committed to artistic freedom outside the studio system. He has spent decades evangelizing for the underdog, teaching that you do not need permission or a big budget to make a movie. Love or hate the films, Troma's stubborn survival for half a century is a real testament to his vision and sheer relentlessness.
Overview
Lloyd Kaufman (born December 30, 1945, in New York City) is an American independent filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and producer. A graduate of Yale University, he co-founded Troma Entertainment in 1974 with Michael Herz, building it into the longest-running independent film studio in the United States. He is best known as the creator of The Toxic Avenger and as a vocal champion of low-budget, outsider filmmaking.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lloyd Kaufman
- Name (Japanese)
- ロイド・カウフマン
- Reading
- ろいど・かうふまん
- Born
- December 30, 1945 (age 80)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rooster
- Origin
- New York, New York, United States
- Occupation
- Actor / Film Director / Screenwriter / Film Producer / Composer
2. Background
- University
- Yale University
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Lloyd Kaufman born?
Born December 30, 1945 (age 80).
Where is Lloyd Kaufman from?
Lloyd Kaufman is from New York, New York, United States.
What does Lloyd Kaufman do?
Lloyd Kaufman works as Actor, Film Director, Screenwriter, Film Producer, Composer.
Actor — see all → · Film Director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.