Paul Reubens (born Paul Reubenfeld; August 27, 1952 - July 30, 2023; 72 years old) 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 during the last few years. The show was called The Pee-wee Herman Show and it ran for five sold-out months, with HBO producing 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 success and, despite receiving mixed reviews, it 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 CBS saturday-morning children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse.
Reubens passed away at the age of 70 after a 6 year battle with cancer.
TMNT contributions[]
Mr. Reubens' likeness as his Pee-wee Herman character appeared in Mirage's TMNT series Vol. 1 #22, "Bill's TV Repair Ser.", page 35, and again as the same character in TMNT Adventures #58, "How the Pre-TMNTs Got Their Colors", page 15. The Pee-wee Herman character served as the insperation for the Mister Ogg character in the 1987 television series episode, "Mister Ogg Goes to Town".
Reubens portrayed The Spleen in the 1999 live-action film, Mystery Men. Then fifteen years later, he officially joined the franchise proper by voicing Sir Malachi in the 2012 TV series.
External links[]
- Paul Reubens at the Internet Movie Database
- Paul Reubens at Pee-Wee's Playhouse Wiki
- Paul Reubens at Wikipedia