Paul Reubens, Actor Who Played Pee-Wee Herman, Dies at 70

Paul Reubens, who’s best known as the actor behind Pee-Wee Herman, has died at the age of 70 after privately fighting a battle with cancer, his estate announced in an Instagram post today.

“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 post reads. “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 first started building the Pee-Wee Herman character in the ‘70s after joining famous Los Angeles-based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings. There, he met actor, comedian, and screenwriter Phil Hartman, with whom he developed Pee-Wee.

With his gray plaid suit, red bow tie, iconic laugh and dorky persona, Pee-Wee quickly became Reubens’ staple. After Reubens auditioned for the 1980-81 cast of Saturday Night Live and didn’t make it in, he and Hartman cobbled together $5,000 to create a stage production, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, which was popularized after HBO filmed one of the performances and aired it as a comedy special in 1981.

Following the success of The Pee-Wee Herman Show, the character – and Reubens’ career – quickly took off. Reubens took the show on the road across the U.S., made several popular appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and in 1941, sold out New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Reubens’ big break in feature films, however, came in 1985. While he had appeared as Pee-Wee in 1980’s Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie, he got his own film in 1985 with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, directed by Tim Burton. It grossed a decent $40 million on a $7 million budget and has since become something of a cult classic.

The year after Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Reubens secured an ongoing spot on television in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, which featured more family-friendly humor than the character’s previous iterations. The show was a hit, garnering 15 Emmy Awards and airing on CBS Saturday mornings from 1986 to 1990.

Reubens’ reputation, however, took a serious hit in 1991 after the entertainer was arrested for indecent exposure in a Florida movie theater that showed pornographic films. Reubens largely stepped away from the Pee-Wee character after that, and started to do more interviews as himself.

The character would be revived decades later, though, when he brought back The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway in 2010. A film revival of the character, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, was released on Netflix in 2016 to positive reviews.

Reubens’ other film credits include Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Matilda, and Mystery Men, as well as TV appearance in shows like Reno 911!

Thumbnail credit: Mike Pont/WireImage

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.