The King of Comedy (film) The King of Comedy (film) The King of Comedy is a 1982 American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. Written by Paul D. Zimmerman, the film focuses on themes including celebrity worship and American media culture. 20th Century Fox released the film on February 18, 1983, in the United States, though the film was released two months earlier in Iceland. Production began in New York on June 1, 1981, to avoid clashing with a forthcoming writers' strike, and opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1983. Rupert Pupkin (Robert
Robert De Niro a previous relationship. They divorced in 1988. De Niro has twin sons, Julian and Aaron, conceived by "in vitro" fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995, from a long relationship with former model Toukie Smith. In 1997, De Niro married his second wife, actress Grace Hightower. Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and the couple split in 1999. The divorce was never finalized and in 2004 they renewed their vows. In December 2011, a daughter named Helen Grace was born via surrogate. In addition to his six children, De Niro has four grandchildren; his daughter Drena has