Rupert Pupkin (born 1946) was an American stand-up comedian and author who kidnapped talk show host Jerry Langford and hijacked his show in 1982. Pupkin was arrested for kidnap soon after Langford's escape and served three years in jail before his release on parole. He wrote an auto-biography called King for a Night in 1988.
Biography[]
Rupert Pupkin was born in Clifton, New Jersey in 1946 to a working class family of Slavic-Irish descent. As the youngest child, Pupkin had a sister named Rose. Both of Pupkin's parents were alcoholics and neglective during his childhood. Bullied in high school, Pupkin later fell in love with a classmate named Rita. Sometime around 1973, Pupkin's mother died of unknown causes. He inherited his mother's home in Clifton.
By 1982, Pupkin was an aspiring comedian who was obsessed with the Jerry Langford show. He collaborated with fellow superfan Masha to get close to Langford in an attempt to gain recognition for his work as a comic.