Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The King of Comedy

  • 1982
  • PG
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
110K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,428
297
Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer1:25
6 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama

Rupert Pupkin is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself... Read allRupert Pupkin is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.Rupert Pupkin is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.

  • Director
    • Martin Scorsese
  • Writer
    • Paul D. Zimmerman
  • Stars
    • Robert De Niro
    • Jerry Lewis
    • Diahnne Abbott
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    110K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,428
    297
    • Director
      • Martin Scorsese
    • Writer
      • Paul D. Zimmerman
    • Stars
      • Robert De Niro
      • Jerry Lewis
      • Diahnne Abbott
    • 342User reviews
    • 128Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 3 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos6

    The King of Comedy
    Trailer 1:25
    Watch The King of Comedy
    Does 'Joker' Exist in a Scorsese-Verse of Films?
    Clip 2:53
    Watch Does 'Joker' Exist in a Scorsese-Verse of Films?
    A Guide to the Films of Martin Scorsese
    Clip 2:06
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Martin Scorsese
    Holy Martin Scorsese! 'Joker' Is New 'King of Comedy'
    Clip 4:00
    Watch Holy Martin Scorsese! 'Joker' Is New 'King of Comedy'
    The King Of Comedy: Let's get on with the show
    Clip 2:46
    Watch The King Of Comedy: Let's get on with the show
    25 Movies That Almost Starred Robert De Niro
    Video 3:08
    Watch 25 Movies That Almost Starred Robert De Niro

    Photos170

    Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Martin Scorsese at an event for The King of Comedy (1982)
    Martin Scorsese and Jerry Lewis at an event for The King of Comedy (1982)
    Joe Berlinger and Loren Eiferman at an event for The King of Comedy (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert De Niro
    Robert De Niro
    • Rupert Pupkin
    Jerry Lewis
    Jerry Lewis
    • Jerry Langford
    Diahnne Abbott
    Diahnne Abbott
    • Rita Keane
    Sandra Bernhard
    Sandra Bernhard
    • Masha
    Ed Herlihy
    Ed Herlihy
    • Ed Herlihy
    Lou Brown
    • Band Leader
    Loretta Tupper
    Loretta Tupper
    • Stage Door Fan
    Peter Potulski
    • Stage Door Fan
    Vinnie Gonzales
    • Stage Door Fan
    Whitey Ryan
    • Stage Door Guard
    Doc Lawless
    • Chauffeur
    Marta Heflin
    Marta Heflin
    • Young Girl
    Katherine Wallach
    • Autograph Seeker
    Charles Kaleina
    • Autograph Seeker
    Richard Baratz
    • Caricaturist
    Catherine Scorsese
    Catherine Scorsese
    • Rupert's Mom
    • (voice)
    Cathy Scorsese
    • Dolores
    Chuck Low
    Chuck Low
    • Man in Chinese Restaurant
    • (as Chuck L. Low)
    • Director
      • Martin Scorsese
    • Writer
      • Paul D. Zimmerman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    The Movies of Martin Scorsese

    The Movies of Martin Scorsese

    From Who's That Knocking at My Door to Killers of the Flower Moon, see some of our favorite stills from Martin Scorsese's films
    See the full gallery
    Production art
    Photos

    More like this

    Mean Streets
    7.2
    Mean Streets
    After Hours
    7.6
    After Hours
    Raging Bull
    8.1
    Raging Bull
    Cape Fear
    7.3
    Cape Fear
    New York, New York
    6.6
    New York, New York
    The Last Temptation of Christ
    7.5
    The Last Temptation of Christ
    Casino
    8.2
    Casino
    Bringing Out the Dead
    6.8
    Bringing Out the Dead
    The Color of Money
    7.0
    The Color of Money
    Kundun
    7.0
    Kundun
    The Last Waltz
    8.1
    The Last Waltz
    Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
    7.3
    Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Martin Scorsese has said that he thought Robert De Niro's best performance under his direction was in this film.
    • Goofs
      When Rupert and Rita are at dinner, and he is showing her his book, the level of her drink varies considerably without her touching it.
    • Quotes

      Rupert Pupkin: Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.

    • Connections
      Featured in Saturday Night Live: Jerry Lewis/Loverboy (1983)
    • Soundtracks
      Jerry Langford Theme
      Written, arranged and performed by Bob James

    User reviews342

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The world that we live in...
    I hate the celebrity culture. I hate the fact that people become famous, just for the sake of being famous. I hate the fact that just because a celebrity gets married or has a child, that's front page news. I hate reality TV. I hate shows like "Pop Idol" (or "American Idol"), where normal people seem to think they are destined for A-list status. The fact that this film (The King of Comedy) is as old as I am, is either an all too worrying statement on society, or proves that it was way ahead of its time. Maybe that's why I love it so much.

    De Niro has always amazed me, but the fact that he seems to understand this character so well is a little overwhelming. Whether he is delivering cringeworthy gags to a cardboard audience, or embarrassing himself, obliviously, in front of Jerry Lewis, his consistency is amazing. His motives are understandable to anyone who's ever had a dream. Perhaps it's De Niro's early ambition as an actor, that fuelled this shamefully overlooked performance.

    Jerry Lewis is perfect as the disgruntled TV host. A man who lives a double-life of hilarious TV personality, with a bitter persona off-screen. You can certainly relate to this man's motivations, his love for his work, but his resistance to allow it run his personal life.

    The only character I can't totally emphasize with is Sandra Bernhard's Masha (her actions aren't justified as well as De Niro's Rupert). But maybe that just goes with my aforementioned hatred for celebrity culture. The scary thing is, I know that people like this exist, and I didn't for a second, question the feasibility of her performance.

    As usual, Scorsese shows brilliant control, despite this being one of his most modest works.

    "The King of Comedy" should be looked upon, now more than ever, as a very important film, that has a lot to say about the world we live in and the obsessions that we consume. 9/10
    helpful•281
    28
    • akpiggott
    • Jun 22, 2004

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ1

    • What is the entire monologue that Rupert Pupkin gives on the Jerry Langford Show?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1982 (Iceland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • King of Comedy
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Building - 1501 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(Jerry Langford's offices)
    • Production company
      • Embassy International Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,536,242
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $137,624
      • Feb 21, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,536,242
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis in The King of Comedy (1982)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of The King of Comedy (1982) in Spain?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.