Lovable, fun, and quirky Pee-Wee Herman stole the show with an acid-trip of a television
series and several big-screen productions, but that’s not where his career ended – or
even began.
In fact, while you may know him as quirky Pee-Wee Herman, his public life and career
as Paul Reubens, or Paul Rubenfield if you know him personally, has been, well, colorful
to say the least.
While Pee-Wee’s Playhouse was Reubens’ claim to fame, his career actually started
in the 1978 TV movie Things We Did Last Summer.
Before his staple television show launched, Reubens popped up here and there in many cult-classics
such as The Blues Brothers, Cheech & Chong's Next Movie and Nice Dreams.
In 1981, the Herman persona went public in a TV Movie titled The Pee-Wee Herman Show
but it wasn’t for another four years that Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure would make him a
household name.
But, hey, let’s not get too caught up in the past, though!
You know how it goes, appearances here, a Pee-Wee special there, a prison sentence for
indecent exposure Oh, I guess we can’t just graze over that one, ey?
As the story goes, in 1991, Reubens was spotted in a Sarasota, Florida adult theater playing
with “little Pee-Wee.”
For his extracurricular activity, Reubens was sentenced to 75 hours of community service,
which he partially fulfilled with an anti-drug PSA.
The arrest was damaging to his career as studios that once loved him turned their backs.
With support from his fans, the cheeky actor eventually snuck back into the spotlight,
starting in 1992 with a small but memorable role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
By the mid-1990’s, things seemed to be looking up.
A recurring role on Murphy Brown, voice-over work for Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas,
a small part in Mystery Men, a memorable performance alongside Johnny Depp in Blow, support from
girlfriend Debi Mazar – how could things go wrong Fast forward to 2002 when…
well… things went wrong.
While investigating Jeffrey Jones for child pornography, Reubens’ name was brought up
by a witness.
In the ensuing investigation, material determined to be a collection of “child porn” was
found in Pee-Wee’s playhouse, though Reubens’ reps claim it was “kitsch collectible images”
being incorrectly categorized.
By 2004, Reubens pled guilty to a lesser charge and temporarily registered as a sex offender,
though he continued to defend the innocence of his vintage erotica collection.
While charges of child pornography would typically destroy a career ,
Reubens bounced back pretty quickly and has had a steady career since.
The Smurfs, Accidental Love, Gotham, Phineas and Ferb, Minecraft: Story Mode, and Call
of Duty: Infinite Warfare all marked high points in his most recent offerings.
In 2016, Pee-Wee Herman returned to the small screen with Netflix’s Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday.
The quirky tale follows Herman as he travels cross-country for the birthday party of Joe
Manganiello and serves as a fitting return of the iconic gray suit.
Since his 2004 conviction, Reubens’ life has been pretty quiet and his career speckled
with brief appearances, guest spots, and voice overs; but his most intriguing work comes
in the form of Steven Soderbergh’s 2017 HBO project, Mosaic.
The largely mysterious production is set to star Reubens alongside Sharon Stone, Jennifer
Ferrin, and Garrett Hedlund and features an interactive aspect where the audience determines
the story’s outcome.
Outside of a Pee-Wee Herman Twitter feed, Reubens’ social media presence is nonexistent,
meaning if you want your daily dose of the slightly controversial, albeit talented actor,
you’ll either need to wait for Mosaic, pop in your copy of Infinite Warfare, or dig deep
into the archives of cinema for another big adventure!