Remembering the Film Career of Paul Reubens

Pee-wee Herman Actor Dies at Age 70

Paul Reubens, the actor who was known for his role as Pee-wee Herman, has passed away and leaves behind a legacy of (mostly) funny work.

When Paul Reubens worked with legendary film director, Tim Burton, they created the hysterical 1985 comedy, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, which was about Pee-wee losing his bicycle. That movie grossed over $40 million at the domestic box-office which was quite admirable especially all those years back. Reubens was a true original as a comic actor and it is sad to report the news of his passing at age 70. He had a private struggle with cancer which lasted for several years.

Reubens had a distinct style of humor which appealed to almost all ages across the board in the early stages of his career. Reubens starred in a follow-up “Pee-wee” movie in 1988 called Big Top Pee-Wee but, unfortunately, that movie bombed at the box-office with a mere $15 million domestic take and only mustered a “B” CinemaScore suggesting audiences were OK with Pee-wee but not as enthusiastic as they were in 1985. Reubens also played the role of Pee-wee in Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello’s fun-filled Back to the Beach movie from 1987. He, not too long ago, played Pee-wee in a Netflix film from 2016 called Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.

It seemed that Reubens’ appeal to young audiences was a bit tarnished in 1991 when he was arrested for indecent exposure at a movie theater. The actor still went on to play supporting (and more grown-up) roles in films like Batman Returns, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dunston Checks In and Mystery Men. Reubens impressed with a dramatic role in the mature 2001 film Blow which starred Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in the movie’s lead roles.

While Pee-wee Herman was what Reubens was known most for, a lot of people remember his small role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer where his vampire character was “dying” even in the middle of the end credits sequence. In movies like Mystery Men and Blow, he (and I mean this in the best way possible) held his own against the likes of some high profile cast members.

It was Reubens’ unfortunate experiences with the law which hurt his career just a tad. Despite the actor’s real-life difficulties, Reubens was quite a talented comic and performer. His show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” was a big hit when it was in its prime and won fans of all ages for the actor (and his character).

“Pee-wee Herman” was an unforgettable presence and made audiences laugh in the 1980’s quite a bit. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure will always be Reubens’ biggest success but watching his performance in Blow there was much evidence of the dramatic actor who was hidden inside that child-like man character of Pee-wee which he did so well. Rebuens will surely be missed.

Leave your thoughts on the passing of Paul Reubens below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, and Flipboard. This news was brought to our attention by Variety.