Without Lloyd Kaufman, writes film critic Michael H. Klienschrodt in the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, there probably never would have been There s Something About Mary, or Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo. Whether or not he would accept the credit (or blame) for these raunchy, mainstream blockbusters, there can be no doubt that what Kaufman has achieved is enormous. In 30 years, Kaufman, along with partner Michael Herz, has built Troma Studios up to legendary status as a bastion of true independence, the world s greatest concentration of camp. In the late 1960s, Kaufman was enrolled at Yale University, diligently working on a respectable degree in Chinese Studies. When he was placed in a dormitory room with two film fanatics, however, Kaufman was infected with a love of movies from which he never recovered. In 1971, Kaufman met his future partner Michael Herz. The Troma Universe was born in 1974 with a series of highly original, sexy comedies such as Squeeze Play!, Waitress!, and other titles ending with an exclamation point. These movies, independent precursors to such later smash hits as National Lampoon s Animal House and Porky s, did well financially, although Kaufman continued to work on such outside productions as Rocky and Saturday Night Fever. Kaufman s relationship with mainstream Hollywood would not last long. Kaufman achieved new levels of success with his 1984 breakthrough movie, The Toxic Avenger. The Toxic Avenger led to an animated spin-off series, Toxic Crusaders, several different comic book titles (published by Marvel and, most recently, Troma s own independent comic book imprint), and three sequels. Its success was followed by a string of commercial and artistic triumphs that blended fantasy, heavy action, comedy, and eroticism in a style that the Cinemateque Francais described as Tromatic, including the Class of Nuke-Em High trilogy, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and Troma s War. These films created an entire generation of young fans who rejected the pandering, commercial films of the mid-to-late 80s, some of whom, such as Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Mike Judge, Peter Jackson, and Trey Parker, went on to become filmmakers themselves. Thanks to these admirers, Kaufman has been asked to make cameo appearances in films like Trey Parker s Orgazmo and Richard Martini s Cannes Man. Lately, Kaufman and the Troma Team have begun to win respect from even their harshest critics. Tromeo and Juliet became a surprise theatrical and critical hit, earning the grand prize at the Fanta Festival in Rome. Kaufman s opus, Terror Firmer, inspired by the book All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From the Toxic Avenger, played for six months in Los Angeles alone. In addition, Kaufman has been an honored guest at various international film festivals and Troma retrospectives around the world. The San Sebastian Film Festival, the British Film Institute, the Cinematheque Francaise, the American Cinemetheque, the Chicago International Film Festival, the UCLA Film Archives, the Tokyo Film Festival, and the Shanghai International Film Festival are just a few of the venues to have showered Kaufman with praise, lifetime achievement awards, and lots of free booze. In January 2000, Kaufman founded the TromaDance Film Festival, which gives filmmakers and audiences alike the opportunity to enjoy a broad spectrum of independent films for free. He has released a feature length documentary about the Cannes Film Festival, entitled All the Love You Cannes: An Indie s Guide to the Cannes Film Festival. His second book, Make Your Own Damn Movie, is in its second printing and has inspired him to teach a series of filmmaking Master Classes at colleges and institutions across the country. He is also the co-author of the The Toxic Avenger novel, published in June 2006. Kaufman most recently went behind the camera again for a chicken-zombie filled satire about the fast-food industry called Poultrygeist.