Paul Reubens was born as Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York, to a Jewish family. He would later grow up in Sarasota, Florida.

Reubens joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, where he developed his skills and created the Pee-wee Herman character with fellow member Phil Hartman.

The Pee-wee Herman character was first introduced in a Groundlings performance, where Reubens played a character that everyone knew would never make it as a comic, partly due to his inability to remember jokes.

Reubens debuted Pee-wee Herman on the television show "The Dating Game", appearing three times.

Reubens started a stage show with the Pee-wee Herman character, which was later filmed by HBO and aired as a special on September 11, 1981, after a successful five-month run at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.

Reubens starred in the film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", directed by Tim Burton, which became a financial success and a cult classic.

Reubens starred in the Emmy Award-winning children's series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" on CBS, which ran for five seasons.

Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida, leading to a hiatus from the Pee-wee Herman character and a shift in public perception.

Reubens began appearing in films and television shows again, including "Mystery Men" and "Blow", and started giving interviews as himself rather than as Pee-wee.

Reubens made cameos and guest appearances in various projects, such as "Reno 911!" and "30 Rock", and worked on new Pee-wee Herman projects, including a stage show and the film "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" released by Netflix in 2016.

Paul Reubens passed away at the age of 70 after privately fighting cancer for years.