Paul Reubens, the actor renowned for his portrayal of Pee-wee Herman, passed away Sunday night after a painstaking battle with cancer. The children’s television star addressed fans posthumously about his private struggle with his illness. His Instagram stated, “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 Reubens estate would continue in the captions. “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.”
Before his most recognized work on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, the Florida native moved to New York to pursue a comedic career. He became a member of the esteemed comedy troupe “The Groundlings.” He made his cinematic debut in the comedy, Pray TV, a satire on Televangelism. Aside from Pee-wee, Reubens would then go on to receive notable roles in Batman Returns, Mystery Men and voiceover work for The Nightmare Before Christmas and as R-3X (Rex), the main pilot droid for Star Tours at Disneyland.
Reubens would eventually build a world-renowned reputation for his role as Pee-wee Herman. The first iteration originated at “The Groundlings” during improvisational stand-out routines. The popularity of the character at live shows would get Reubens a part in Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie (1980). This led to him making appearances on David Letterman, which eventually caught the attention of young filmmaker, Tim Burton.
Burton would make his directorial debut by collaborating with Reubens, Michael Varhol, and comedy legend, Phil Hartman to write the script. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) centered around the eccentric, boyish optimist who set out across the U.S. to reclaim his prized bicycle. The film would become a surprise hit that grossed $40 million at the box office and made the character a pop culture icon. Its notoriety would be followed with a sequel, Big Top Pee-wee.
The infectious happiness of the character would lead to a hit kids TV series, Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986 – 1991) that would last five seasons on CBS. The series would amass a devoted following that would earn the show 22 Emmys. Its acclaim was rooted in the fact it was refreshing, original content for children’s television at the time. It was a trippy mixture of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and Captain Kangroo meets an acid trip. Ultimately, Pee-wee’s success stemmed from the fact that this “man-child” figure was genuinely learning with his young viewers. The show was full of positive messages for parents as well, with reinforced teachings of acceptance, kindness and being true to oneself.
Reubens’ spotlight would become blinding when the children’s TV star was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult film theater in 1991. This scandal would lead to his show being instantly cancelled and the actor would become blacklisted from Hollywood. He made a slow climb back into the Film Industry and eventually reprised his role as Pee-wee in the 2016 Netflix movie, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. The film received respectable reviews and brought in decent fanfare from nostalgic devotees, desiring for the illustrious character to make a return 25 years later. The actor has had a tumultuous professional career, but his impact as an artist is an example of the importance of creating original content in any medium.