Character Arc
Latka Gravas is the sweet, naive mechanic at the Sunshine Cab Company, an immigrant from an unnamed foreign country who speaks in a distinctive, partly invented language and greets the world with wide-eyed innocence. Built around Andy Kaufman's pre-existing Foreign Man character, Latka became one of the show's most beloved figures, beloved by the other cabbies for his gentleness and good nature.
Over the series, Latka's storylines expand his world considerably, most notably with the arrival of Simka Dahblitz, a woman from his homeland who becomes his great love and eventual wife. Their courtship and marriage, conducted partly through the customs and rituals of their fictional culture, provided some of the show's most distinctive and tender comedy.
One of Latka's most memorable arcs involves a multiple-personality storyline that allowed Kaufman to play a brash, womanizing American alter ego named Vic Ferrari, a sharp contrast to Latka's timid sweetness. The role gave Kaufman a mainstream platform for his unconventional comic sensibility, and Latka remains closely identified with the performer's singular legacy.