The entertainment world is mourning the passing of comedian, actor, writer, producer and children’s entertainer Paul Reubens, who died on Sunday at age 70 after a six-year battle with cancer. Reubens was best known for his hugely popular character Pee-wee Herman and The Pee-wee Herman Show, which first began as a character created for the L.A. comedy troupe The Groundlings, and then a live show, which led to an acclaimed special for HBO and inspired the influential CBS Saturday morning children’s show Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” the statement on Facebook read.“Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”
The success of his child-like and iconic Pee-Wee Herman character led to two successful feature films Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) directed by Tim Burton and its sequel Big Top Pee-wee (1988). The first Pee-Wee movie was one of the big hits of 1985, making over $45 million at the box office. In 2015, Netflix released the third Pee-wee movie titled Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, directed by John Lee and produced by Reubens and Judd Apatow.
Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which featured charming stop-motion animated segments, also introduced family audiences to actors such as Phil Hartman, John Paragon, Lynee Marie Stewart, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson. It also showcased the creative design of influential animation artists such as Wayne White, Gary Panter, Craig Bartlett, Nick Park, Richard Goleszowski, Gregory Harrison, Ric Heitzman and Phil Trubmo. The show, which ran for five seasons (1986-1991), won 15 Daytime Emmys.
In addition to his many memorable live-action roles, Reubens also lent his voice to a wide range of characters in animated series, specials and video-games. Among them: voice of Hermie the Elf (Rugrats), God/Devil (Tripping the Rift), Golly Gopher (Re-Animated), Reuben (Chowder), Bat-Mite (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), Gnome Ruler (Adventure Time), Pavel (Tron: Uprising), The Riddler (Robot Chicken), Ju-Long (Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness), Martin Milton/Sir Malachi (TMNT), Benji Warlin (Sanjay and Craig), RX-24 (Star Wars Rebels), Professor Paranthesis (Phineas and Ferb), Wyatt Borden (American Dad!), Swap Shap Owner (Voltron: Legendary Defender) and Pat (Bob’s Burgers).
Director Tim Burton shared a tribute on Instagram:
Watch the animated Penny segment (directed by Craig Bartlett) and the show’s high-energy opening on Pee-wee’s Playhouse below:
