Top 5 roles of Pee-wee Herman star Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens, the actor who brought laughter to millions of people around the world as Pee-wee Herman, has died at the age of 70.

Reubens’ estate confirmed news of his death on his official Instagram page Monday. “Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy, and belief in the importance of kindness,” the announcement read.

Also Read: Paul Reubens was arrested for child porn possession in 2002 after he made career comeback with Blow

Here are 5 of the most memorable roles from the career of Reubens

1 Batman Returns (Tucker Cobblepot)

Tim Burton, who made his feature-length directorial debut in 1985 with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the first movie starring the man-child, deserves some credit for Pee-wee Herman’s widespread success. The director would work with Paul Reubens again by having him play the wealthy father of the malformed child who would grow up to be Danny DeVito as The Penguin in Batman Returns.

2 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Amilyn)

Paul Reubens’ performance as Amilyn, a fanged, ancient antagonist with punk rock sense, who he would pay homage to on What We Do in the Shadows in 2019 is the primary reason to revisit the Joss Whedon-penned horror-comedy, which came before his more successful series adaptation with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Also Read: Pee Wee Herman’s Tequila dance goes viral after Paul Reubens’ death | Watch Video

3 Mystery Men (The Spleen)

In the criminally underappreciated 1999 superhero parody Mystery Men, which is largely based on an Image comic of the same name, the actor offers one of his most deeply bizarre performances as a man known as The Spleen for his cursed ability to produce fatal flatulence on command.

4 The Nightmare Before Christmas (Lock)

In The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Oscar-nominated 1993 stop-motion classic that is ideal during either the winter holiday season or Halloween, you can actually hear a very slight hint of Pee-wee Herman in his vocal portrayal of Lock, one of Oogie-Boogie’s trio of menacing trick-or-treater henchmen.

5 Blow (Derek Foreal)

Paul Reubens was given the chance to use his underappreciated talents for outrageous character acting in a role that was based on a real person. He plays a flamboyant, cocaine-dependent hairdresser in the 2001 real crime drama Blow who partners with the ambitious George Jung, played by Johnny Depp, to create a market for the drug in the 1970s in the United States.