John Paragon

John Paragon (1954-2021) was an actor, writer, and improvisational comedian best known for his work on Pee-wee's Playhouse (as Jambi the genie and voicing puppet pterodactyl Pterri). He also directed episodes and wrote (along with star Paul Reubens and others), having co-written the concept as the more adult The Pee-Wee Herman Show.
Paragon began as a member of the improv group The Groundlings with Reubens, Phil Hartman, Edie McClurg, and others. Outside Pee-Wee productions, he appeared occasionally on Seinfeld as Cedric (half of gay couple Bob and Cedric) and starred in the 1985 Cannon movie The Frog Prince. Other credits include "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF (as Richard Fletcher), Eating Raoul (with Paul Bartel), Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (with Rick Moranis), several Elvira projects (as writer and/or actor), and appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Cheers.
In later years, Paragon worked with Walt Disney Imagineering on incorporating improvisational performance into attractions at the Disney parks. In this capacity, he performed as the keeper of Lucky the Dinosaur during test runs of the animatronic figure. He was also one of the writers for the Muppet Mobile Lab along with Jim Lewis.
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Category:Celebrities
Category:Writers