The unknown comic unmasked

Murray langston biography

Early life [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. References [ edit ]. The A. Retrieved 20 June The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 October Retrieved 27 June External links [ edit ].

Langston is best known, oddly enough, as The Unknown Comic — a comedian who appears onstage wearing a paper bag over his head. He did not want his true identity known, because an appearance on an amateur show could have hurt his comedy career, when he was already well-known. Audiences liked the Unknown Comic, and Langston began to appear as that character on other shows, and in live performances.

When he was finally unmasked in public on a television show called Real People , the two careers became one.

Murray langston biography death

Langston has performed both as himself and as the Unknown Comic ever since. The New York Times. Ross, John 26 October Archived from the original on 23 October Retrieved 27 June Wikiwand for Chrome. Wikiwand for Edge.

Murray langston unknown comic

Wikiwand for Firefox. Stand-up , television , film. Character comedy , observational comedy , satire , surreal humor , sarcasm. American culture , everyday life , human behavior , pop culture. Murray Langston was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada and left home at the age of 15 because his parents—disabled and financially strapped—could not afford to raise him and his younger siblings.

He served during the Vietnam War but never saw combat. He also worked with Foxx, Joan Rivers , Jim Carrey , Ruth Buzzi , and many other comedians, as well as creating comedic situations—appearing in several segments—for Candid Camera.

Murray langston biography wikipedia

Several now-famous people worked there as servers, including Debra Winger , Michael Keaton then known as Michael Douglas , David Letterman , Gallagher , Tim Reid and Freddie Prinze ; however, the club closed within two years, exhausting Langston's savings. Strapped for cash, he accepted an offer to appear on The Gong Show. He was reportedly embarrassed about appearing on the show, so—with the director's permission—he put a paper bag over his head with holes for his eyes and mouth, memorized a few old jokes and burst onto the show as "The Unknown Comic".