Jim Ignatowski was played by Christopher Lloyd and affectionately known as Iggy. He could have been a very 2-dimensional character, possibly even 1-dimensional, but Lloyd mastered the character. What could have been a one-note caricature of a typical 60's hippie became a very deep, diverse, extraordinary character with a heart of gold, a lot of humanity, and considerable hidden talents. He also seemed to always wear the same blue jeans and denim jacket throughout the show's entire run.One two-part episode showed that Iggy was actually a very studious student at Harvard until he ate a hashbrownie. In that classic scene Lloyd's face literally changes to the spaced-out, burned-out look that Iggy always has for just a second right after he takes the first bite of the brownie. By the time his 2nd semester of Harvard came along he was writing term papers in fingerprint, claiming the typewriter was so impersonal. Jim Ignatowski was born James Caldwell to extremely wealthy parents. His father cut him out after he became a drug addict and dropped out of Harvard. During his first couple of years as a drug addict he became a legally ordained minister and changed his last name to Ignatowski because it spells Starchild backwards. He attended Woodstock and kept finding God, but God kept ditching me. He then spent a year of his life making a macrame couch. Somewhere during this time he also served as a medic in the army in Vietnam and finally got to try magic mushrooms while sitting on a mountain top.Iggy lived in a condemned building and paid no rent. When his father died he inherited $3million, but didn't know what to do with the money. In one episode he is in the taxi garage going through his mail and says I'm tired of getting all these. I wish they would quit sending them! Alex asks Bills, Iggy? Iggy responds No. Checks!! Alex looked and it turns out his inheritance was being given to him in monthly payments. Alex takes Iggy, and a stack of checks he has, to the bank to open an account. Iggy then goes to a racetrack where he feels sorry for the losing horse and buys him and keeps him in the bedroom of his apartment (in the condemned building). The guys from the garage come over and Iggy mentions that the horse isn't feeling well and is laying down. The guys look at each other and Bobby goes into the bedroom to investigate, then quickly runs back out and slams the door. The horse had died. They explain it to Iggy.A few days later Iggy is still depressed about the horse dying. Alex suggests that, since Iggy is a man of the cloth, he hold a memorial service for the horse. They gather everyone around and Iggy starts giving a eulogy for the horse. The guys thought that Iggy talking about it would help, but the eulogy he delivers for this dead horse is truly remarkable and heart-breaking. All the guys in the garage are crying and they force Iggy to stop talking.Iggy had been on the show here and there during the 1st season, but in the 2nd season the guys at the garage are feeling sorry for him and suggest he take the test to become a cab driver. In a classic scene of pure comedy gold Iggy sits at a desk to take the test while the guys are standing at a counter waiting. Iggy whispers to Bobby What does a yellow light mean? Slow down is Bobby's response, to which Iggy replies What...does...a...yellow...light...mean? Slow down is the same response. Iggy in turn asks Whaaaaaaat... doooooeeeess... aaaaaa... yelloooooooow... liiiiiiiiiiight... meeeeeeaaaaan? This exchange keeps going for a few turns seeing both Bobby and Iggy becoming increasingly frustrated. Marilu Henner, who plays Elaine, can actually be seen, if you look close, stabbing her hand with a pen in this scene in order to keep herself from laughing.By far my favorite episode of Taxi, and one of the greatest episodes of any show ever, was one entitled Elegant Iggy. I still get chills watching it, and the first time I saw it my jaw dropped when he started playing the piano. The end brought a few tears down my cheek, and not just the first time. This particular episode earned the writer an Emmy award. In this episode, Iggy invites Elaine to a concert because he is a bit stricken with her. At the show they run into an important patron of Elaine's art gallery who invites them to a party. She believes this invitation could be her ticket to success, but Iggy's rather anti-social behavior has her worried. She confides in Iggy her fears, but he promises not to embarrass her. She also confides a dream she has of a fairytale romance. He shows up dressed in a tuxedo and Elaine's fears come to fruition not far into the party: Iggy's unkempt appearance, in spite of the tux, and his only vague awareness of the world outside his head seem to be paving a road to certain disaster. Iggy mentions that he plays the piano and a few of the guests insist that he play. Elaine is trying to drag him out to avoid further embarrassment, but Iggy now wants to play for the guests. The guests all sit around the piano and Iggy starts playing the first few notes from London Bridge is Falling Down but misses a note. He starts again from the beginning playing slowly but still missing the same note. Elaine buries her face in her hands and believes her dreams of success in the art world are being crushed. After trying London Bridge a few more times and continuing to fail, (this choked me up) Iggy says Awww, to Hell with it! and starts playing Chopin beautifully and perfectly. Elaine nearly falls out of her chair. Iggy then stops suddenly with a quizzical look and says Hmmm. I must have had lessons. By the end of the party he is singing duets with other guests while playing and quickly becomes everyone's favorite. Elaine can't believe it, and Iggy is a little hurt that she was so sure he would ruin things for her. Iggy does have a bit of a crush on her which he had confessed earlier. The end of the episode sees Elaine walking into her apartment to find Iggy with a cutting torch in her living room. Using metal, he created for her a beautiful castle. The conversation goes: Elaine: Jim; what are you doing here? Where did this model castle come from? Iggy: It's yours, I made it for you. See Elaine, your fairy tale can come true. Look here's your Castle, and your Prince awaits. Elaine: You are truly a sweet decent man. Iggy: Once there was a time when that was enough.As the credits role you see Iggy leave Elaine's building and grab something from his van. His van doesn't have much metal left on it and no longer runs...you realize then that he had cut the metal from his only vehicle to build that castle for her. He walks down the sidewalk into the night. Show less «