Stanley Lloyd Kaufman, also known as Lloyd Kaufman, was a film producer and director who never intended to make movies. Instead, he aspired to work in Broadway musicals. During his time at Yale University, he was introduced to "B" pictures and the works of Roger Corman, which sparked his interest in filmmaking. Kaufman's first film, a 15-minute short called "Rappacini", was made with a friend and showcased a pig being slaughtered in Chad, Africa.
Kaufman's second film, "The Girl Who Returned" (1969),was a success, and he went on to work on projects like "Joe" (1970),"Rocky" (1976),and "Saturday Night Fever" (1977). He later formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone, producing films like "Sugar Cookies" (1973) and "Cry Uncle" (1971).
However, Kaufman's studio, 15th Street Films, was ruined after the flop of their film "Schwartz: The Brave Detective" (1973). To pay off debts, Kaufman made "The Divine Obsession" (1976) and, with partner Michael Herz, formed Troma Studios. The studio's first success came with the re-edited and completed film "Blood Sucking Freaks" (1976),which enabled them to pay the rent.
Kaufman's next film, "Squeeze Play" (1979),was a huge hit, and Troma eventually made millions from it. The studio then produced a string of "sexy" comedies, including "Waitress!" (1981),"The First Turn-On!!" (1983),and "Stuck on You!" (1983). However, with the glut of "T&A" films on the market, Kaufman decided to make a comedy that stood out from the rest.
Inspired by an article claiming horror movies were dead, Kaufman combined horror and comedy to create "The Toxic Avenger" (1984),a monster hit that finally put Troma on the map. Lloyd Kaufman and Troma have since become icons in the cult-movie world, distributing over 1000 films and producing films like "Monster in the Closet" (1986),"Class of Nuke 'Em High" (1986),and "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead" (2006).
