Nupen was born in South Africa on 30 September 1934,Christoper Nupen, brilliant classical music film director who confessed to an affair with Lotte Lehmann – obituary to a family of Norwegian descent. His father, E. P. "Buster" Nupen (1902–1977), was a Test cricketer and his mother was Claire (Doombie) Nupen, née Meikle.
