Kaufman was born Stanley Lloyd Kaufman, Jr. in New York City, New York, the son of Ruth (née Fried) and Stanley Lloyd Kaufman, Sr. a lawyer.
Kaufman graduated from Yale University with the class of 1968, where he majored in Chinese studies. His Yale classmates included Oliver Stone and George W. Bush. Originally intending to become a social worker, he became fast friends with student filmmaker Robert Edelstein and Eric Sherman (son of filmmaker Vincent Sherman), who introduced him to his future lifelong obsession, cinema. Some of Lloyd’s favorite filmmakers include John Ford, Kenji Mizoguchi, Ernst Lubitsch, Stan Brakhage and Franklin Schaffner. Like the members of Monty Python troupe, who were a big influence on him, Kaufman read Punch magazine and enjoyed the theatrical performances of Beyond the Fringe, Flanders & Swann, etc.
In 1966, Lloyd went on a hiatus from his studies and spent a year in Chad for USAID as a pathfinder for the Peace Corps.
Returning to Yale, he produced Robert Edelstein’s low-budget film Rappaccini and directed his own first feature film, an experimental black and white film titled The Girl Who Returned. The film was presented at film societies at Yale, Harvard, and other east coast institutions. Following his graduation, Kaufman went on to work for Cannon Films, where he met John G. Avildsen (future Academy Award-winning director of Rocky and The Karate Kid). The two collaborated for several years, making low-budget films including Joe and Cry Uncle! During this period, Kaufman also directed and starred in his second feature film, The Battle of Love’s Return, which garnered positive reviews in publications such as The New York Times, wrote and produced the lesbian thriller Sugar Cookies (with Oliver Stone), and wrote and directed another film, the Israeli comedy flop Big Gus, What’s the Fuss?. Kaufman also served as executive in charge of locations for Saturday Night Fever, and was influential in choosing 2001 Odyssey as the nightclub in the film.
From 1973-1979, Kaufman produced and directed a handful of adult films in New York under the pseudonym “Louis Su.” He directed at least three movies: The Divine Obsession, The Newcomers, and Sweet & Sour, and has been credited for producing at least three more.
In 1974, Kaufman and his business partner Michael Herz founded Troma Entertainment and began producing and distributing independent action and comedy films. In order to pay the bills, Kaufman did some freelance work for major Hollywood productions, including Rocky (edited on Troma’s flatbed machines), Saturday Night Fever, and The Final Countdown, which he also produced (Kaufman has said that it was his experience on this film that made him never want to deal with a major studio again). From 1979 to 1981, the two wrote, produced and directed a series of profitable “sexy comedies” including Squeeze Play!, Waitress!, Stuck on You! and The First Turn-On!. On most of these early films, Kaufman is credited as “Samuel Weil.” Kaufman also made a small appearance in Rocky and served as the production manager on Louis Malle’s My Dinner With Andre.
In 1985, Troma experienced mainstream success with the violent, darkly comic superhero film The Toxic Avenger. Toxic went on to become Troma’s most popular movie, inspiring three sequels, a Saturday morning children’s television show, comic books and tons of merchandise. The Toxic Avenger, or “Toxie,” is now Troma’s official mascot.
Kaufman’s follow-up to The Toxic Avenger was Class of Nuke ‘Em High, which he co-directed with Richard W. Haines. Riding on the success of the Toxic Avenger, Nuke ’em inspired two sequels and a healthy run on late night cable shows such as USA Up All Night. At one time, Class of Nuke ‘Em High was the highest-selling VHS for Troma.
Troma’s popularity waned after the box office failure of Troma’s War; Kaufman attributed the film’s lack of success to cuts made to the movie after the MPAA refused to release it with an R-rating in its intended form. Troma’s attempt to reboot its popularity with the super hero satire Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. was unsuccessful, failing to make an impression at the box office. From 1995 to 2000, Kaufman retrofitted the studio into an independent film company, finding success amongst cult movie fans and critics with the independent film Tromeo and Juliet (1996), a loose parody of Shakespeare’s play. Other independent films that followed were the less successful Terror Firmer (1999), a slasher film set on the set of a Troma movie (with Kaufman playing a caricature of himself), and the fourth installment in the Toxic Avenger franchise Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.
It would not be long, however, before Troma would once again experience financial hardship, this time after the botched funding of a low-budget video feature titled Tales from the Crapper, which cost $250,000 despite most of the footage being unusable. Lloyd supervised a reshoot in an attempt to salvage the film, dividing the footage into two parts and recasting the film as a double-feature. Tales from the Crapper was released on DVD in September 2004.
Troma still produces and acquires independent films.Troma Films has distributed many films from third parties including Trey Parker’s Cannibal! The Musical. Lloyd himself encourages independent filmmaking, making cameo appearances in low-budget horror films, often for free. Recent appearances include screen time in former collaborator James Gunn’s directing debut, Slither, as well as Gunn’s Super and Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s Crank and Gamer.
Kaufman’s latest film, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, made its official New York premiere on May 9, 2008 (although the film had previewed numerous times on single screens for over a year). On its opening weekend, it had the second highest per-screen average ticket sales, beating out the big-budget Speed Racer, and opened to positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and was made a critics pick by New York Magazine and Salon.com.
In September 2008, a staged musical version of The Toxic Avenger opened at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, The Toxic Avenger Musical features music from Bon Jovi founding member, David Bryan. On 17 September 2009, Kaufman announced he would have a cameo in the remake of the Charles Kaufman/Troma movie Mother´s Day alongside his brother Charles.
Kaufman is the subject of the forthcoming book Toxic Schlock: Conversations with Lloyd Kaufman by Andrew J. Rausch and Chris Watson. An author himself, Kaufman has most recently been working on adding to his Your Own Damn Movie! series. Having completed Make Your Own Damn Movie!, Direct Your Own Damn Movie! and Produce Your Own Damn Movie!, he is now working on Sell Your Own Damn Movie!.
As of July 2010, Kaufman is set to direct the upcoming The Toxic Avenger 5: The Toxic Twins. Troma is also preparing for both the remake of The Toxic Avenger by Akiva Goldsman, Richard Saperstein and Charlie Corwin, and the upcoming Father’s Day, a shocking film from Canadian powerhouse Astron-6 which Troma is producing. Kaufman appeared on the Discovery Channel series, Oddities, on season 3 episode ten.
On April 30th, 2013, Kaufman appeared on an episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd, reviewing the video game Toxic Crusaders on various consoles. Kaufman also appears in the upcoming Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie as himself.
As director
All films from Waitress to Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. were co-directed with college friend and Troma Vice President Michael Herz
The Girl Who Returned (1969)
The Battle of Love’s Return (1971)
Big Gus, What’s the Fuss? (1973) (co-directed by Ami Artzi)
Squeeze Play! (1979) (as Samuel Weil)
Waitress! (1981) (as Samuel Weil)
Stuck on You! (1982) (as Samuel Weil)
The First Turn-On! (1983) (as Samuel Weil)
The Toxic Avenger (1984) (as Samuel Weil)
Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986) (as Samuel Weil; co-directed by Richard W. Haines)
Troma’s War (1988) (as Samuel Weil)
The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989)
Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990)
Tromeo and Juliet (1996)
Terror Firmer (1998) (based on his book All I Need To Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger)
Troma’s Edge TV (1999–2001) (26 half-hour episodes)
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)
All the Love You Cannes! (2002)
Parts of the Family (2003) (as Gabriel Lloyd) (co-directed by Léon Paul De Bruyn)
Tales from the Crapper (2004)
Make Your Own Damn Movie! (2005)
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
Splendor & Wisdom (2008)
Direct Your Own Damn Movie (2009)
Produce Your Own Damn Movie! (2010)
Lenge: Legends of Troma (2011)
Return to Class of Nuke ‘Em High Vol.1 (2013)
Return to Class of Nuke ‘Em High Vol.2 (2014)
As producer only
Rappacini (1968)
Sugar Cookies (1973)
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974)
Mother’s Day (1980)
The Final Countdown (1980)
The Dark Side of Midnight (1984)
Screamplay (1985)
Igor and the Lunatics (1985)
Girls School Screamers (1986)
Combat Shock (1986)
Fortress of Amerikkka (1988)
Dialing for Dingbats (1989)
Class of Nuke ‘Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown (1991)
Class of Nuke ‘Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid (1994)
Blondes Have More Guns (1995)
DeCampitated (1998)
Sucker: The Vampire (1998)
The Rowdy Girls (2000)
Parts of the Family (2003)
Slaughter Party (2005)
Mother’s Day (2010)
Teenape Vs. the Nazi Monster Apocalypse (2011)
Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical (2011)
Father’s Day (2011)
Hack Job (2011)
As actor
The Battle of Love’s Return (1971) – Abacrombie
Cry Uncle! (1971) – Hippie #2
The Love Thrill Murders (1971) – Squeegee
Rocky (1976) – Drunk
Slow Dancing in the Big City (1979) – Usher
The Final Countdown (1980) – Commander Kaufman
Rocky V (1990) – Drunk (Scenes Deleted)
Cannes Man (1996) – Troma Chief
Tromeo and Juliet (1996) – Bar Patron (Uncredited)
Orgazmo (1997) – Doctor
Terror Firmer (1998) – Larry Benjamin
Tales from the Crapper (2003) – The Crap Keeper
LolliLove (2003) – Father Lloyd
Harry Knuckles and the Pearl Necklace (2004) – The Man in the Hat
Slither (2006) – Sad Drunk
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006) – Old Arbie
Crank: High Voltage (2009) – Maintenance Guy #2
Gamer (2009) – Genericon
Incest Death Squad (2009) – Mr. Reamburg
Hanger (2009) – Melvina The Tranny
Frankenpimp (2009) – Richard Rammer – The Reporter
Super (2010) – 911 Man
Killer Hoo Ha (2010) – Man in road
Hatchet II (2010) – Hunter
Tetherball: The Movie (2010) – Larry Lewinski
Bloodbath in the House of Knives (2010) – Lawyer
Caesar and Otto meet Dracula’s Lawyer (2010) – Judge Stoker Browning
SUPER (2011) – 911 Caller
Caesar and Otto’s Deadly XMas (2011) – Grandpa Denovio
Hack Job (2011) – Rabbi Lloyd
Fathers Day (2011) – God
Evil Head (2012) – Professor Raymond Knowby (Voice Only)
Spidarlings (2012) – Mr Banner
The Angry Video Game Nerd (2013) – Himself
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – TBA; cameo
Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014) – Himself Post-production
