- For other meanings, see Reubens (disambiguation).
Paul Reubens (born
Paul Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is 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 for 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 and critical success, and soon 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.