Supper star Pee-wee Herman Biography

Pee-wee Herman Biography

First appearance: The Groundlings (1977)
Created by :Paul Reubens
Portrayed by: Paul Reubens

Information

Gender: Male
Occupation: Stand-up comedian, Actor

Family :Herman Herman (father)
Honny Herman (mother)
Hermione Herman (sister)

Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The child-like Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens took the character to motion picture with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, toning down the adult innuendo for the appeal of children. This paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986-1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was released in 1988.

Reubens' arrest on July 26, 1991 caused a media frenzy over the actor and his Pee-wee Herman character. Reubens, who had begun to grow tired and disgusted of the character, used the media attention to shelve his alter ego during the 1990s until his gradual resurrection the following decade. It was during this time that Reubens addressed plans to write a new Pee-wee film, Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie. In June 2007, Reubens appeared as the Pee-wee Herman character for the first time since 1991 at Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards.



Summary of Biography

"Paul Reubens" (born "Paul Rubenfeld" on August 27, 1952) is an American actor, writer, and comedian, known professionally for his character "Pee-wee Herman". As Pee-wee, Reubens starred in the television series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" from 1986 until 1990. He also starred in an HBO special called "The Pee-wee Herman Show", the 1985 movie "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and the 1988 movie "Big Top Pee-wee". He has since gone on to take roles in other films, music videos, video games, and also, to make brief appearances on assorted talk shows.


Early life & work

Though born in Peekskill, New York, Reubens grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents, Judy and Milton, owned a lamp store. His father had flown for the British in World War II, later becoming one of the founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force during the 1948 war of independence. During winters, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus called Sarasota home, and young Paul counted such big-top families as the Wallendas and the Acchinis among his neighbors. The circus sparked his interest in entertainment. When he was 11 years old, he joined the local Asolo Theater and Players of Sarasota Theater, and during the next six years, he appeared in a variety of plays. After graduating from Sarasota High School in 1970, he attended New Hampshire's Plymouth State University for one year before deciding to seek his fortune as Paul Reubens in Hollywood, where he enrolled as an acting major at the California Institute of the Arts and accepted a string of pay-the-rent jobs ranging from pizza chef to Fuller Brush salesman.
In the 1970s, Reubens performed at local comedy clubs and made four guest appearances on "The Gong Show". He soon joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings and remained a member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, often writing and working on material together. Reubens wrote sketches and developed his improvisational skills. He also forged a significant friendship and working relationship with Hartman, with whom he developed the 'Pee-wee Herman' character.

In 1977 The Groundlings staged a performance in which its members created characters that one might see in a comedy club. Paul decided to play a guy that everyone immediately knew would never make it as a comic, partly because Reubens couldn't remember jokes in real life - he had trouble remembering punch lines and couldn't properly piece information in sequential order. Saying that Pee-wee Herman was born that night, his distinctive guttural "Ha Ha Ha," followed by a high-pitched "Haw Haw Haw," laugh became the character's catch phrase, as has his insult comeback 'I know you are, but what am I?'

Pee-wee Herman's signature grey suit was originally a custom-made suit that Reubens had borrowed from the Groundlings director, Gary Austin; the small red bow tie was given to him by an acquaintance. Pee-wee's later checkered clothing and persona were largely lifted from manic 1950s children's TV host Pinky Lee

The inspiration for the name came from a "Pee-wee" brand miniature harmonica and the surname of an energetic boy Reubens knew from his youth. Paul thought the name Pee-wee Herman was a name that sounded too real to be made up, and like a real name a parent would give a child that they didn't really care about.

Reubens has a sister, Abby Rubenfeld, a prominent Tennessee attorney and adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School , who is the former chair of the Individual Rights and Responsibilities section of the American Bar Association and of the NLGLA.

The Pee-wee Herman Show

Reubens auditioned for "Saturday Night Live" for the 1980-1981 season, but wasn't accepted into the cast. Instead, he started a stage show with the Herman character. Originally, Reubens imbued 'Pee-wee' with sexuality that was later toned down as the character made the transition from raucous night club to children's television (though innuendo was still apparent, particularly between the Cowboy Curtis and Miss Yvonne characters). The stage show was popularized by HBO when "The Pee-wee Herman Show" aired in 1981.

The show featured the writing and acting of Groundlings alumni Phil Hartman and John Paragon, who would both reprise their characters on "Pee-wee's Playhouse". "The Pee-wee Herman Show" played for five sellout months at The Roxy Theatre in L.A., whereupon HBO filmed it and aired it as a special on September 11, 1981.

In 1980, Reubens landed a minor role in the film "The Blues Brothers" as a waiter. That same year he also had a slightly bigger role in the Disney movie Midnight Madness. He also appeared in Cheech and Chong's 1981 film "Nice Dreams", as an ill mannered receptionist who is later found by Chong, snorting cocaine under a restaurant table. Reuben's character asks Chong, 'you're the guy from the hamburger train, right?'. (This line is later sampled by the rock group Primus in their song 'Hamburger Train'.) Reubens also appeared in "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie" in 1980, and "Meatballs Part II" in 1984.

Following the success of "The Pee-wee Herman Show", in the early and mid 1980s Reubens made several guest appearances on "Late Night with David Letterman" as Pee-wee Herman. These performances gave Pee-wee an even bigger following than he had with his HBO special. In 1983, Pee-wee Herman traveled the United States with "The Pee-wee Herman Show", making highly publicized stops at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and Caroline's in New York City.

In 1984 Pee-wee Herman sold out New York City's Carnegie Hall. Reubens went on to say that it was his appearances on David Letterman's show that made Pee-wee a star.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

While on a Warner Bros. set, Reubens noticed that most of the people rode around on bicycles, and asked when he would get his. Warner Bros. presented him with a refurbished 1940s Schwinn; Reubens then abandoned the Pee-wee Herman script he was writing in favor of one about Herman's love for his bike and his efforts to locate it once it was stolen. Hartman, Reubens and Michael Varhol co-wrote the script for "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", and in 1985 the film, directed by Tim Burton and scored by Danny Elfman, was released. Reubens was the originator of the 'Pee-wee dance' in the movie, and he had performed it publicly many times prior to the making of the film.

Pee-wee's Playhouse era

The following year (1986), Pee-wee (along with Hartman) found a home on the small screen with the Saturday-morning children's program "Pee-wee's Playhouse" on the American CBS network for the next five years (Shirley Stoler, Johann Carlo, Gilbert Lewis and Roland Rodriguez only appeared on the show for the first 13 episodes before their characters were dropped from the show). In the case of Lewis, he was fired and a new actor, William Marshall, was hired to play the King of Cartoons. The show starred Pee-wee living in a wild and wacky house, known as the Playhouse, full of talking chairs, animals, robots, and other puppet and human characters. During the time "Pee-wee's Playhouse" aired it garnered 22 Emmy Awards.

In 1986, credited as "Paul Mall", Reubens provided the voice of the spacecraft's robotic commander, Max, in Disney's "Flight of the Navigator".

In 1987, he provided the voice of REX, the bumbling pilot droid in the Disneyland attraction, Star Tours.

In 1987, he reprised the role of Pee-wee Herman in a cameo appearance in the film "Back to the Beach".

In 1987, Reubens filmed an insert for Sesame Street as Pee-wee, reciting his own version of the alphabet.

In 1988, Reubens reprised the role of Pee-wee Herman in a sequel to "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", entitled "Big Top Pee-wee".

In 1988, 'Pee-wee' was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1988, he starred in "Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special".

In 1998, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" was aired for the second time on Fox Family (now ABC Family).

In 2006, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" was aired for the third time on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network for 45 episodes.

Arrests

On July 26, 1991, Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida for masturbating publicly in an adult theater. The news media went into a frenzy and the scandal marked the near-death of the character 'Pee-wee Herman,' reducing both the actor and the persona to a ubiquitous punchline. Although the series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" had already ended by that time, CBS reacted by dropping its reruns from their lineup. Reubens made a deal with the Sarasota County court: in exchange for a fine and producing a few public service announcements, he was given a clean record.

Reubens was arrested again in 2002 in connection with an investigation involving child pornography. Public news stories concerning his case cast doubt upon the suggestion that Reubens intentionally acquired child pornography, as he stated that he was a collector of 'erotic artwork' and that he had a sizable collection of vintage erotica with samples dating back to the 18th century. On March 19, 2004, child pornography charges against him were dropped by Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo after Reubens pleaded guilty to a separate 'misdemeanor obscenity' charge.

'The DA waited 364 days (one day before the statute of limitations would have run out) and then alleged that some of it was 'child pornography' -- decades-old physique poses, old art photos, and yellowed nudist magazines. Some of the nude photos were of minors -- when the pictures were taken, but most of the models would have been dead of old age before Reubens was born. All of the photos, Reubens maintained, were legal when they were first published. The charges were reduced to 'obscenity', and Reubens pleaded guilty and paid a US$100 fine in exchange for probation.'

Said Reubens: 'Personally, I think we're living in a very scary time. Do we let the legal system decide in a courtroom what's obscene and what's not obscene? I didn't want to be in a situation where there was a possibility I could go to jail... I mean, that just seemed insane to me.

Prior to his arrest, Reubens had made a guest appearance on the hit TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond," playing the role of Amy McDougall's comic-book-obsessed brother (Russel McDougall). His arrest prompted the show's star, Ray Romano, to object to Reubens being a part of the show's cast and actor Chris Elliott was cast as the character of Peter McDougall, apparently a second brother of Amy's, to replace Reubens' role.

Current activity

Reubens currently resides in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. After 1991, Reubens drifted from public view.

He did however use the arrest as a chance to escape Pee-wee and play other roles as Paul Reubens. He had a co-starring role as a vampire henchman in the 1992 film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and a memorable cameo in "Batman Returns" playing The Penguin's blue-blood father. The latter film reunited him with his "Big Adventure" director, Tim Burton, and co-star, Diane Salinger. He performed in another Tim Burton production, 1993's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in the role of Lock. After that, he took small parts in "Matilda" and "Dunston Checks In".

In 1995, he landed a recurring role on the hit TV series "Murphy Brown" as the network president's scheming nephew and Murphy's 76th secretary. The role earned him rave reviews and his first and only non-Pee-wee Emmy nomination. He appeared on the show until 1997.

In 1999 Reubens came back into the edge of the limelight as a character in the movie "Mystery Men" where he played 'The Spleen', one of a group of wannabe super heroes. He was capable of subduing his adversaries with noxious blasts of 'ass perfume'. It was during the filming of this movie that Reubens appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" in 1999 in one of his very first interviews not as Pee-wee. It was also on that interview that Reubens first announced plans to start writing a new Pee-wee movie. The next year, Reubens appeared as a murdering cowboy named Arvid Henry in Dwight Yoakam's movie "South of Heaven, West of Hell".

In 2001 Reubens was the host of the short lived TV show based on the game "You Don't Know Jack". On this show, he portrayed a character named Troy Stevens. That same year, he received his most rave reviews for a non-Pee-wee role when he played a hairdresser/drug dealer in the Johnny Depp hit "Blow". In an interview discussing the film, Reubens said of his character in the film (which was based on a real person who is still in hiding), 'I wanted to make him like some kind of comic relief.'

2004 saw the start of Reubens appearing in public eye more regularly. In a 2004 interview with "Entertainment Weekly", Reubens said that he was working on a few television and movie ideas, and that Hollywood, he hopes, has not seen the last of Reubens or his alter ego, Pee-wee. Reubens has also stated a strong possibility of a "Pee-wee's Playhouse" movie on an NPR interview with Terry Gross on December 27, 2004. A third Pee-wee movie was also suggested. Both, said Reubens, are actively being worked on, but no dates or official announcements were made as of this date.

Reubens, an avid video gamer since 1981, reprised his role as Lock in the video game "The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge". Reubens did not voice Lock when he appeared in "Kingdom Hearts II", however.

He also appeared in the second music video version of the Raconteurs song 'Steady, As She Goes'. It showed the band in a comical soapbox car race. Reubens played the bad guy who sabotages the race.

In early July 2006, Cartoon Network began running a promo during its Adult Swim lineup. The promo consisted of a black screen with the text, 'Remember This?' displayed, while the beginning of the "Pee-wee's Playhouse" theme song played in the background. The commercial then faded to the text 'Coming July 10 2006.' A later press release and many other promos confirmed that the show's 45 original episodes would air on the block Monday to Thursday at 11 P.M. ET starting on that date. However, later on in August 2006, Adult Swim started airing "Pee-wee's Playhouse" at 12:00 A.M. ET.

On July 11, 2006, Reubens made a rare talk show appearance to promote "Pee-wee's Playhouse" on "The Late Show with David Letterman", and made mention that a script was completed for a "Pee-wee's Playhouse" Movie which would take the characters from the 1980s television show out of the playhouse for the first time and into the real world. In a Time magazine interview, Reubens said production would start early next year for the film.

On July 30, 2006, Reubens played Rick of the citizen's patrol on the popular Comedy Central show "Reno 911!". The character, Rick, wore a red beret with numerous pins on it, a pair of white gloves, and a small cape. Rick always found clues and evidence that the officers would have otherwise never found, usually making them look very novice. He spoke with a scratchy whisper throughout the entire episode until near the end when officer Dangle plays a voice recorder where Rick is making chicken noises and laughs like Pee-wee Herman.

On Saturday, August 5, 2007 at a showing of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" in the "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" in Hollywood, CA, Reubens made an appearance on stage before the show, bringing with him almost the entire cast of the film to the uproarious applause and standing ovation. E.G. Daily (Dotty), Judd Omen (Mickey, the escaped convict), Diane Salinger (Simone), Daryl Keith Roach (Chuck the bike shop owner), and Mark Holton (the dastardly Francis) were all present.

In late summer 2006 Paul announced that "Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie" has been greenlit, although there is no word on what studio greenlighted the project. This film is family oriented, and is going into production around February 2007. In October 2006, Reubens made a rare public appearance at an east-coast fan convention, 'Chiller Theater,' with 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' co-star, Lynne Marie Stewart. There he donned a gray suit with a bold red necktie, and signed autographed pictures and other memorabilia-- along with posing for photographs with fans.

Reubens played a prince on the "30 Rock" episode 'Black Tie', which aired on February 1, 2007. Paul Reubens played a veteran journalist on the FX series 'Dirt'. The episodes were titled 'The Secret Lives of Altar Girls' (Aired Feb. 6, 2007) and 'Come Together' (Aired Feb. 13, 2007). On February 25th, 2007, Reubens made an appearance on "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" as the moon in the closing segment of the episode 'Cats'. Reubens makes a cameo in "Reno 911! Miami" as Terry's dad. Reubens appears in "The Tripper" with David Arquette and Courteney Cox. It was released April 20, 2007. Starting May 2, 2007, Paul Reubens will reprise his role as Golly Gopher in the television series based on Re-Animated. Paul has made an appearance on The Andy Milonakis Show in season 3, as 'Weird Beard the Weirdly Bearded Weirdsman.' He's also done the voice for the character Paul, in the episode 'Puddins' of 'Tom Goes to the Mayor.'

Reubens appeared as the Pee-wee Herman character for the first time since 1992 at Spike TV's 2007 Guys' Choice Awards in June 2007.

In early 2007 Nike SB released a style of Nike SB sneakers, Grey/Heather Dunk High Pro SB, that use a grey and white color scheme with red detail inspired by the colors of Pee-wee Herman's trademark suit and an illustration on the insole suggesting Reubens' theater arrest. No explicit reference is made to the inspiration as they are unauthorized. They are part of a 'Fallen Heroes' pack which also features shoes inspired by Milli Vanilli, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice.

Reubens was slated to appear as homeopathic antidepressant salesman Alfredo Aldarisio in the third episode of "Pushing Daisies". The role was recast with Raul Esparza.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Movie
"Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie" is a proposed 2009 film by Paul Reubens, allegedly greenlighted by Paramount Pictures.

Reubens' third scripted movie, written at the same time as his adult-oriented Pee-Wee script, was announced in late summer 2006. He first announced he had finished the script on the "Late Show with David Letterman", and later revealed further details to Time Magazine reporter Dennis Van Tine. Filming was expected to start in early 2007. According to IMDb, it is expected for a release in 2009 because of delays.

Plot

According to Reubens, the story will focus on the characters from the television show finally leaving the playhouse and venturing off into Puppetland and beyond (the playhouse characters had never left the playhouse in the TV series). The characters from the playhouse will be on an epic adventure to look for a missing character from the playhouse. Reubens stated this will be a 'road' movie similar to "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure".