Paul Reubens, the actor who portrayed Pee-wee Herman, has died at the age of 70 following a private battle with cancer.
“Last night [July 30th] 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,” read a statement posted to Pee-wee Herman’s Facebook page. “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.”
In a separate statement posthumously released by Reubens, he wrote, “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing for the last six years. 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.”
Reubens broke out in the early 1980s thanks to the character of Pee-wee Herman, who began on the Groundlings stage in Los Angeles before transitioning to film and television — the character’s first big screen adventure, aptly titled Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, premiered in 1985, and also marked the directorial debut of Tim Burton. Subsequently, Reubens went on to star in the TV series Pee-wee’s Playhouse, an ’80s kids favorite that ran until 1990.
Pee-wee was a singular role for Reubens, and the world — always wearing his signature grey suit and red bow tie, he brought child-like glee and verve to exploring the world around him. Pee-wee’s Playhouse was a show filled with magical characters, bright colors, and goofy gags (like the “secret word” of the day), and also brought together unexpected talents like Mark Mothersbaugh, Danny Elfman, Lawrence Fishburne, Phil Hartman, and S. Epatha Merkerson. Pee-wee was a big kid in an adult’s body, and as a little kid watching him, he made the looming threat of adulthood seem a little less scary.
Beyond his most famous role, Reubens made notable guest appearances in a variety of series, from an Emmy-nominated recurring role on Murphy Brown to a three-episode run on the Fox series Gotham. In 2007, he played Gerhardt Hapsburg, the last descendent of the Hapsburg line, in the 30 Rock episode “Black Tie,” and he was one of the featured players in What We Do in the Shadows’s “Vampire Council,” spotlighted in the Season 1 episode “The Trial” (having played the vampire Amilyn in the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992).
Over the years, Reubens’s legal issues would make headlines, as he was arrested in 1991 for public masturbation, and then in 2002 was arrested for “misdemeanor possession of obscene material improperly depicting a child” — charges which did not lead to jail time, but did hang over his career. He would in later years return to the role of Pee-wee Herman for a stage production that eventually transitioned to Broadway, and was filmed for an HBO special as well in 2011. His final portrayal of Pee-wee on screen was Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a Netflix original film released in 2016.
Editor’s Note: Revisit 10 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure quotes you probably still say all the time.
