The Unknown Comic
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| The Unknown Comic | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Murray Langston |
| Born | June 27, 1944 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia,Canada |
| Medium | Stand-up,television,film |
| Years active | 1968-present |
| Genres | Character comedy,observational comedy,satire,surreal humor,sarcasm |
| Subject(s) | American culture,everyday life,human behavior,pop culture |
| Website | therealunknowncomic |
Murray Langston(born June 27, 1944), who frequently performed using the stage name"The Unknown Comic",is aCanadianactorandstand-up comedianbest known for his performances onThe Gong Show,during which he usually appeared with a paper bag over his head.
Early life[edit]
Murray Langston was born inDartmouth, 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 lived inMontreal(Park Ex) before he immigrated to the United States by joining theUnited States Navy.He served during theVietnam Warbut never saw combat.
Career[edit]
In 1968, Langston began his show business career onRowan & Martin's Laugh-Indoing impressions of a fork, a tube of toothpaste and a grandfather clock.[citation needed]Later—at the suggestion ofRedd Foxx—he teamed with comedianFreeman Kingand they became regular performers onThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.[1]
After more than 100 appearances withSonny & Cher,Langston began to make appearances on other prime time television shows, includingThe Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show,The Wolfman Jack Show,andThe Bobby Vinton Show.[2]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—forCandid Camera.
Early in his career, Langston had invested in a nightclub restaurant called "SHOW-BIZ". Several now-famous people worked there as servers, includingDebra Winger,Michael Keaton(then known as Michael Douglas),David Letterman,Gallagher,Tim ReidandFreddie Prinze;however, the club closed within two years, exhausting Langston's savings.[2]
Strapped for cash, he accepted an offer to appear onThe 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". The character, a frenetic speed-jokester in smarmy attire, was a hit, and developed a cult following.[3]
"The Unknown Comic" appeared on more than 150 episodes of theGong Show[citation needed]and also entertained as a celebrity judge on several other television shows. He also wrote forThe Gong Showfor a short time as well as appearing regularly in Las Vegas and making the rounds of many popular talk and variety shows. In the early 1980s, Langston revealed himself as "The Unknown Comic" on an episode ofReal Peoplein which the show's hosts pulled off the bag over his head. He also revealed his true identity at the conclusion of a match on the celebrity edition of the game showBullseye.
Langston later producedThe Unknown Comedy HourforPlayboy TV,followed byThe Sex and Violence Family Hourwhich starred a very youngJim Carrey.He also wrote the screenplays for the filmsNight Patrol(1984), which he also acted in,[4]Up Your Alley(1988) andWishful Thinking(1997) as well as being the co-host ofThe NEW Truth or Consequences(1987). He also had a role in the children's TV seriesE.M.U-TV(1989) as "Murray the Technical Director".
Langston is credited as "Actual Unknown Comic" for his appearance in the filmConfessions of a Dangerous Mind(2002).
He wrote, directed and performed inDirty Jokes: The Movieand inspired by the hit stage showThe Vagina Monologueshe created and performed "one man's response" to the show, which he calledThe Weenie Man-o-logs.[citation needed]
Personal life[edit]
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Twice divorced by the early 1990s, Langston went into semi-retirement from show business to concentrate on raising his daughters as a single father. His elder daughter,Myah Marie,became a singer-songwriter who wrote and published more than 50 songs by the time she reached the age of 19; she has recorded with notable pop stars includingBritney Spears.His younger daughter Mary continued to live with Langston on their hillside ranch near the mountain town ofTehachapi, California.
Since 2000, Langston occasionally appeared as a stand-up comic in Las Vegas and wrote a memoir,Journey Thru The Unknown...As of 2015, Langston resided inBathurst, New Brunswick.[2][5]
References[edit]
- ^Daley, Ashley (June 11, 2002)."Freeman King: Actor, comedian and writer".Variety.
- ^abcRabin, Nathan (18 April 2001)."Murray Langston – The Unknown Comic".The A.V. Club.Retrieved20 June2014.
- ^Eakin, Marah; Teti, John; Adams, Erik (16 June 2014)."Bonus round stars: 9 celebrities who found their greatest fame on game shows".The A.V. Club.Retrieved20 June2014.
- ^Canby, Vincent(March 9, 1985)."The Screen: 'Night Patrol'".The New York Times.
- ^Ross, John (26 October 2009)."Murray Langston – Out of the Bag".AmericasComedy.com.Archived fromthe originalon 23 October 2012.Retrieved27 June2015.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1945 births
- Canadian stand-up comedians
- Canadian television personalities
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male screenwriters
- Canadian male television actors
- Living people
- Male actors from Halifax, Nova Scotia
- People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Writers from Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Canadian male comedians
- 20th-century Canadian screenwriters
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 20th-century Canadian comedians
- Comedians from Nova Scotia
- Screenwriters from Nova Scotia