Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, writer, movie producer, game show host, and comedian, best known for portraying Pee-wee Herman. He is of Jewish descent. He appeared in many movies and television series in the late 1970s and early 1980s and worked with a group called "The Groundlings". Around this time, Reubens created Pee-Wee for a stage show, which was a parody of old kids programs. In 1985, he starred in a movie called "Pee-ee's Big Adventure", which was very successful. The next year, he got his own television program, "Pee-wee's Playhouse". It was very popular.