Paul Reubens, Creator of Pee-wee Herman, Has Died at 70
The actor was privately battling cancer for six years
Today’s secret word is remembrance. Paul Reubens, who starred as his co-creation Pee-wee Herman onscreen for over 35 years and nearly 40 in total, died Sunday at the age of 70 following a very private six-year battle with cancer.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens wrote as his final statement, posted to his socials. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.” The post on Facebook and the caption on Instagram, written by his estate, reads: “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. 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.”
Reubens was born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York. He began as an improv comedian and actor who got his big break in Los Angeles as a member of The Groundlings in the 1970s. He spent six years as part of the group, finding a friendship and beginning to collaborate with Groundlingmate Phil Hartman. Appearing as a waiter in The Blues Brothers, Herman would create Pee-wee Herman, whose first appearance is considered to be Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, which was released the same year. By 1982, the character’s signature outfit, a childlike demeanor in a too-small gray suit, white shirt and red bowtie, his short hair slick with grease, had already come together for his live act The Pee-wee Herman Show, which would receive a filmed version as a special for HBO.
The character’s popularity would hit the mainstream that he would get a feature film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, co-written by Reubens, Hartman and Michael Varhol, directed by Tim Burton in his first feature film and the first of two punches that would get him Batman. The film’s use of “Tequila” is beloved to this day. Reubens hosted Saturday Night Live fresh off Big Adventure entirely in character as Herman, a rare occurrence in the show’s history. The following year, he would launch the Saturday morning children’s series Pee wee’s Playhouse, cementing a wholesome image that allowed for a cameo in the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach parody film Back to the Beach, where he sang Surfin’ Bird”. Playhouse lasted 45 episodes and a very highly-regarded Christmas special over 5 seasons, a 13 and 3 10s. Season 3 was only two episodes due to both a writers’ strike and a second feature film: 1988’s Big Top Pee-wee.
An indecent exposure incident in 1991 would take Playhouse reruns off CBS and derail Reubens’s career a bit but he would recover. The character would appear at awards shows, on talk shows, and even WWE over the years, including to promote the Broadway revival of The Pee-wee Herman Show in 2010, which also got an HBO special. His final performance as the character would be for his final feature film, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which was Netflix’s third ever original film, non-documentary, in 2016. Herman himself would have film roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Matilda, Dunston Checks In and Mystery Men. His notable non-Pee-wee television roles include 30 Rock, The Blacklist, The Conners and What We Do In The Shadows.
Reubens’s work with Burton would continue with Batman Returns in 1992, where he would play Tucker Cobblepot, father of Oswald, the eventual Penguin due to his abandonment by his parents. This would set Herman’s footprint in the world of DC Comics adaptations, being cast as Bat-Mite in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Elijah Van Dahl in three episodes of Gotham, and the voice of serial killer dybbuk Mike the Spike in five fourth season episodes of Legends of Tomorrow. He’s who memorably possessed the Martin Stein puppet. In truth, he’s done quite a lot of voicework, including as Captain RX-24 aka Rex for Star Tours and Star Wars Rebels, Trimaxion in Flight of the Navigator, Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jokey Smurf in The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2, and appearances in Rugrats, Chowder, Adventure Time, Tron: Uprising, American Dad, Sanjay and Craig, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The OWCA Files, Penn Zero: Part Time Hero, Voltron: Legendary Defender, and even a Bob’s Burgers episode that aired earlier this year.
Reubens is survived by sister Abby and her wife Helia; brother Luke; and nieces Lily and Sarah.
Source: Deadline