Paul Reubens (/ˈruːbənz/; né Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952-July 30, 2023)[1] 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, Reubens put up a show about a character he had been developing for years. The show was called The Pee-wee Herman Show and it ran for five sold-out months with HBOproducing a successful special about it. Pee-wee became an instant cult figure and for the next decade, Reubens would be completely committed to his character, doing all of his public appearances and interviews as Pee-wee. In 1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure, directed by the then-unknown Tim Burton, was a financial and critical success, and soon developed into a cult film. Big Top Pee-wee, 1988's sequel, was less successful than its predecessor. Between 1986 and 1990, Reubens starred as Pee-wee in the CBSSaturday-morning children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse.
Thereafter, Reubens decided to take a sabbatical from Pee-wee. In July 1991, Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida. The arrest set off a chain reaction of national media attention that changed the general public's view of Reubens and Pee-wee.[2] The arrest postponed Reubens' involvement in major projects until 1999 when he appeared in several big-budget projects including Mystery Men and Blow and started giving interviews as himself rather than as Pee-wee.
Since 2006, Reubens has been making cameos and guest appearances in numerous projects, such as Reno 911!, 30 Rock, Dirt, Pushing Daisies, and The Blacklist. Since the 1990s, he has worked on two possible Pee-wee films: one dark and adult, dubbed The Pee-wee Herman Story, and one a family-friendly epic adventure called Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie.[3] In 2010, he starred on Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show.
In 2016, Reubens helped write and starred in the Netflix original film Pee-wee's Big Holiday, reprising his role as Pee-wee Herman.[4]
Early life and education[]
Reubens as a high school senior, 1970
Reubens was born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York, and grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents, Judy (Rosen) and Milton Rubenfeld, owned a lamp store. His mother was a teacher. His father was an automobile salesperson who had flown for Britain's Royal Air Force and for the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, later becoming one of the founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[5] Paul has two younger siblings, Luke (born 1958), who is a dog trainer,[6] and Abby (born 1953),[7] who is an attorney, and board member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.[8][9][10]
Reubens spent a significant amount of his childhood in Oneonta, New York. As a child, Reubens frequented the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, whose winter headquarters was in Sarasota. The circus's atmosphere sparked Reubens' interest in entertainment and influenced his later work.[11][12] Reubens also loved to watch reruns of I Love Lucy, which made him want to make people laugh.[13] At age five, Reubens asked his father to build him a stage, where he and his siblings would put on plays.[14]
Reubens attended Sarasota High School, where he was named president of the National Thespian Society. He was accepted into Northwestern University's summer program for gifted high-school students and also joined the local Asolo Theater and Players of Sarasota Theater, appearing in several plays.[6] After graduation, he attended Boston University and began auditioning for acting schools. He was turned down by several schools, including Juilliard, and twice by Carnegie-Mellon, before being accepted at the California Institute of the Arts and moving to California, where he worked in restaurant kitchens and as a Fuller Brush salesman.[6]
In the 1970s, Reubens performed at local comedy clubs and made four guest appearances on The Gong Show as part of a boy–girl act he had developed with Charlotte McGinnis, called The Hilarious Betty and Eddie.[6] He soon joined the Los Angeles–based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings and remained a member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, often writing and working on material together.[15] In 1980, he had a small part as a waiter in The Blues Brothers.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Nice Dreams | Howie Hamburger Dude | |
| 1984 | Meatballs Part II | Albert / Hara Krishna | |
| 1996 | Matilda | FBI Agent Bob | |
| 1997 | Buddy | Professor Spatz | |
| 2011 | The Smurfs | Jokey Smurf (voice) | |
| 2013 | The Smurfs 2 |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Flintstone Comedy Show | Freaky Frankenstone (voice) | Episode: "RV Fever/Birthday Boy/Clownfoot/Fred Goes Ape/Flying Mouse/Ghost-sitters" |
| 1980 | Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty | Various roles | Television special |
| 1980 | Steve Martin: All Commercials | Various roles | Television special |
| 1981 | Mork & Mindy | Dickie Nimitz | Episode: "Long Before We Met" |
| 1981 | The Pee-wee Herman Show | Pee-wee Herman | Television special |
| 1982 | Madame's Place | Pee-Wee Herman | Episode: "#1.34" |
| 1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Pinocchio | Episode: "Pinocchio" |
| 1985 | Saturday Night Live | Pee-wee Herman (host) | Episode: "Pee-wee Herman/Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band" |
| 1986–1990 | Pee-wee's Playhouse | Pee-wee Herman | 45 episodes; also creator, writer, director, executive producer and set decorator Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Direction/Scenic Design (1988) |
| 1988 | Sesame Street | Pee-wee Herman | Episode: "Put Down the Duckie" |
| 1998 | Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special | Pee-wee Herman | Television special; also writer, director and executive producer |
| 1995–1997 | Murphy Brown | Andrew J. Lansing III | 6 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) |
| 2000 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Russell | Episode: "Hackidu" |
| 2001 | You Don't Know Jack (game show) | Troy Stevens | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | Ally McBeal | Louis | Episode: "Cloudy Skies, Chance of Parade" |
| 2002 | Rugrats | Hermie the Elf (voice) | Episode: "Babies in Toyland" |
| 2002 | The Groovenians | Jet | Pilot |
| 2005 | Tripping the Rift | God / Devil (voices) | Episode: "Chode's Near Death-Experience" |
| 2006 | Campus Ladies | Drama instructor | Episode: "Drama Class" |
| 2006 | Reno 911! | Rick | Episode: "Rick's On It" |
| 2006 | Tom Goes to the Mayor | Paul (voice) | Episode: "Puddins" |
| 2006 | Re-Animated | Golly Gopher (voice) | Pilot |
| 2007 | Area 57 | Alien | Pilot |
| 2007 | 30 Rock | Gerhardt Hapsburg | Episode: "Black Tie" |
| 2007 | Dirt | Chuck Lafoon | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | The Moon | Episode: "Cats" |
| 2007–2009 | Chowder | Reuben (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Pushing Daisies | Oscar Vibenius | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Bat-Mite (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | Adventure Time | Gnome Ruler (voice) | Episode: "Power Animal" |
| 2011 | The Pee-wee Herman Show | Pee-wee Herman | Television special Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special |
| N/A | Soul Quest Overdrive | Tiger Jesus | Unaired pilot |
| 2012–2013 | Tron: Uprising | Pavel (voice) | 17 episodes |
| 2012–2015 | Robot Chicken | The Riddler / Sunbather (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Pee-wee Herman | Episode: "Pee Wee Herman Wears a Halloween Costume" |
| 2014 | Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness | Ju-Long (voice) | Episode: "The Hunger Game" |
| 2014 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Martin Milton/Sir Malachi (voice) | Episode: "Mazes and Mutants" |
| 2014, 2016 | American Dad! | Wyatt Borden (voice) | Episode: "Blagsnarst, a Love Story" |
| 2014 | Sanjay and Craig | Benji Warlin (voice) | Episode: "Googas" |
| 2014–2015 | The Blacklist | Mr. Vargas | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Star Wars Rebels | RX-24 (voice) | Episode: "Droids in Distress" |
| 2014 | Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered | Bat-Mite (voice)[108] | Television special |
| 2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Professor Parenthesis (voice) | Episode: "The O.W.C.A. Files" |
| 2015 | Portlandia | Weirdoes' Lawyer | Episode: "Dead Pets" |
| 2015–2016 | Pickle and Peanut | Couch Dracula (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Gotham | Elijah Van Dahl | 3 episodes |
| 2015, 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | The Milk Man/The Butterman (voice) | 3 Episodes |
| 2017 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Unliu Swap Shop Owner (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 2018 | Mosaic | JC Schiffer | 5 episodes |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge | Lock |
| 2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame | Bat-Mite |
| 2015 | Minecraft: Story Mode | Ivor[109] |
| 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Willard Wyler |
| 2017 | Wilson's Heart | Boris |
| 2017 | Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2 | Ivor |
Roles[]
