Reubens died on July 30, 2023 at 70 years old.Photo:D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Paul Reubens, who is best known for creating and portraying characterPee-wee Herman,died on July 30, 2023 at 70 years old. The actor’s rep confirmed his death in a statement to PEOPLE, revealing that Reubens had been diagnosed with cancer some time before dying.
Reubens, of course, made a career through Pee-wee after debuting the character in the 1981 stage production,The Pee-wee Herman Show.He went on to play Pee-wee in popular projects including theTim Burton-directedPee-wee’s Big Adventure(1985) and CBS seriesPee-wee’s Playhouse(1986-1990).
The actor’s personality was on display in his final statement on Reubens’official Instagram page, where the comedian apologized posthumously for not sharing his diagnosis until after his death. “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years," he wrote in the statement. “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."
Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman in 1980.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
In addition to his most iconic role as the “Tequila”-dancing goof — which herevivedin 2016 forJudd Apatow-producedPee-wee’s Big Holiday— the actor also appeared in films such asBuffy the Vampire Slayer(1992),The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993),Batman Returns(1992) andMatilda(1996).
Herman’s television credits includedMurphy Brown,30 Rock,The Blacklist,Reno 911!and, more recently,What We Do in the Shadows.
Reubens died on July 30, 2023 at 70 years old.Photo Courtesy of Art Streiber / August @aspictures8BIM
Photo Courtesy of Art Streiber / August @aspictures8BIM
Despite success — and heartfelt tributes pouring in from his fellow stars — the children’s entertainer’s resumé is often remembered alongside dark moments in his life.
In 1991, Reubens was arrested and charged with indecent exposure at an adult movie theater, a charge he pleaded no contest to. And a decade later, in 2001, his home was raided and pornographic material involving minors was reported to be discovered in his possession. The following year, he turned himself in on a misdemeanor charge of possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct.
In 2004, the misdemeanor case was dropped when Reubens pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. After the case was settled, the actor spoke out about the allegations, maintaining his innocence.
From his career highs to his legal struggles, here is a complete look at Paul Reubens' ups and downs throughout the years.
1970s: Paul Reubens Creates Pee-wee Herman
1981: Paul Reubens LaunchesThe Pee-wee Herman Show
The Pee-wee Herman Show, a stage production dedicated to the titular character, premiered at The Groundlings Theatre in 1981. It eventually moved to The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles before it landed Reubens an HBO special. Through this format, the character was introduced to a national audience.
1985: Pee-wee Herman Makes His Big-Screen Debut inPee-wee’s Big Adventure
Paul Reubens in ‘Pee Wee’s Big Adventure’ (1985).Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
1986: Paul Reubens CreatesPee-wee’s Playhouse
Reubens createdPee-wee’s Playhousefor CBS, which ran a total of five seasons from 1986 to 1990. The children’s series earned 22 Emmy Awards, with Reubens nominated personally for 14. He ultimately won twice.
1991: Paul Reubens is Arrested for Indecent Exposure at an Adult Movie Theater
Paul Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Florida in 1991.Kypros/Getty
Kypros/Getty
After becoming a beloved children’s entertainer, Reubens faced a national sex scandal in the summer of 1991 when he was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Florida.
The actor was observed exposing himself and arrested along with three other individuals following a raid of South Trail Cinema in Sarasota,The New York Daily Newsreported in 1991. He was charged with exposure of a sexual organ.
According to theNew York Times, he pleaded no contest to the crime and avoided receiving a charge on his record, but was still required to complete 75 hours of community service.
Reubens spoke out about the incident in 2004,telling NBC News, “Well, obviously I wasn’t thinking. You know? I certainly wasn’t thinking to myself, ‘You’re a children’s show host. Your show is [still] on television.’ I wasn’t making those lists. I felt like they were insinuating like, well, I was sitting in you know, a darkened movie theater, in my Pee-wee suit."
The actor added that “it didn’t seem like a crime to me,” and “didn’t seem like anyone’s business but my own,” and, despite pleading no contest to the charge, denied that indecent exposure ever happened.
“I maintained at the time that it didn’t happen and I maintain that still,” he told the outlet in 2004.
2002: Paul Reubens Is Charged with a Misdemeanor
Paul Reubens was arrested in 2002 after child pornography materials were found in his home.Kypros/Getty
Reubens was arrested again in 2002 after materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct were discovered in his Hollywood Hills home following a police search in 2001,Entertainment Weeklyreported at the time.
The actor turned himself in on a misdemeanor charge of possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct,EWsaid.
At the time of his charges, Reubens’ publicist toldEWthat the “claims are completely without merit. He’s going to be completely vindicated at the end of the day.”
2004: Paul Reubens Settles Misdemeanor Possession of an Obscene Image Case
Reubenssettled the misdemeanor case in March 2004, as PEOPLE previously reported. The charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to the aforementioned lesser charge.
In the settlement, Reubens agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of an obscene image “with the intent to exhibit his collection,” a representative for the actor said at the time. He was fined $100, received three years' probation and agreed to be registered as a sex offender, the Associated Press reported at the time, according to the 2004 PEOPLE article.
2004: Paul Reubens Speaks Out About Misdemeanor Possession of an Obscene Image Case
After settling the 2004 misdemeanor possession of an obscene image case with a plea bargain, Reubens spoke to several outlets about the charges.
In April 2004, he toldEW, ”You can say that I’m different, that I’m freaky, that I’m weird — you can say lots of stuff about me. But you can’t say I’m a pedophile. That’s just not a part of who I am. I am not a child pornographer.”
The actor said that the materials that were deemed pornographic were “really camp, kitschy, funny stuff from the ’40s, ’50s, or ’60s." “Ninety percent of anybody off the street who looked at the stuff would burst out laughing and say, ‘You’re kidding me,' " he toldEW.
In the same month, the comedian spoke withABC News, telling the outlet, “The moment that I realized my name was going to be said in the same sentence as children and sex, that’s really intense. That’s something I knew from that very moment, whatever happens past that point, something’s out there in the air that is really bad.”
He defended the materials once again, calling them “incredible, beautiful stuff that I stand behind.”
When asked if he ever thought it was not a “good idea” to amass the collection following the 1991 charges, Reubens said, “I didn’t. I never did. I wasn’t really thinking to myself, wow this is my creepy, weird stuff that I shouldn’t be collecting. It’s not titillating. It’s not something that I use for any kind of sexual purpose.”
2020: Paul Reubens Celebrates the 35th Anniversary ofPee-wee’s Big Adventure
During aninterviewin February 2020 onJimmy Kimmel Live, Reubens spoke about the 35th anniversary ofPee-wee’s Big Adventure,joking that he was “only eight” when he made the film. At the time, an anniversary tour with Reubens was planned, but unfortunately canceled due to the COVID pandemic. Even the few dates of the tour that did happen were profoundly special for Reubens, who wrote on his blog, “While telling stories about the making of the movie and offering up details nobody had ever heard, I constantly felt deeply emotional and would often have to pause to not give away how close I was to bursting into tears.”
During theKimmelappearance, Reubens also opened up about his still-unreleased memoir, admitting that while writing he would get confused with “who I am in which story” — himself or Pee-wee. The status of the memoir or any planned release is unclear.
source: people.com
