Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens (August 27, 1952 – July 30, 2023) was an American actor, writer, film producer, game show host, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor. In 1982 he began appearing in a show about a character he had been developing for years. The show, called The Pee-wee Herman Show, ran for five sold-out months, and HBO produced a successful special about it. Pee-wee became an instant cult figure and, for the next decade, Reubens was completely committed to his character, doing all of his public appearances and interviews as Pee-wee. His feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), directed by the then-unknown Tim Burton, was a financial and critical success and soon developed into a cult film. Its sequel, Big Top Pee-wee (1988), was less successful. Between 1986 and 1990, Reubens starred as Pee-wee in the CBS Saturday-morning children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse.
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- 1952-08-27 · Peekskill, New York, USA
- Died
- 2023-07-30
Known for
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) — Lock (voice)
- Batman Returns (1992) — Penguin's Father
- Matilda (1996) — FBI Agent
- Blow (2001) — Derek Foreal
- The Blues Brothers (1980) — Waiter
- The Smurfs (2011) — Jokey Smurf (voice)
- Gotham (2014) — Elijah Van Dahl
- The Blacklist (2013) — Mr. Vargas
- Doctor Dolittle (1998) — Raccoon (voice)
- Adventure Time (2010) — Gnome Ruler/Dancing Bug (voice)
- DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016) — Dybbuk (voice)
- American Dad! (2005)
- The Smurfs 2 (2013) — Jokey Smurf (voice)
- Bob's Burgers (2011) — Pat (voice)
- Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) — Fife (voice)
- What We Do in the Shadows (2019) — Paul