The Unknown Comic

Murray Langston (born 1945, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada) is a Canadian comedian and writer. His television work includes The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Make Me Laugh, and The Gong Show.

Langston is best known, oddly enough, as The Unknown Comic – a comedian who appears onstage wearing a paper bag over his head. He first appeared as the Unknown Comic on The Gong Show. 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. In time, Langston was as famous for the character as for himself. When he was finally unmasked in public (on a television show called Real People), the two careers became one. Langston has performed both as himself and as the Unknown Comic ever since.

Langston partly retired from his career during the 1990s, to focus on raising his daughter.