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'{{short description|American actor, writer, and director}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = John Paragon | image = | caption = | birth_name = John Dixon Paragon | birth_date = {{birth date|1954|12|9}} | birth_place = [[Anchorage, Alaska]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|6|18|1954|12|9}} | death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|writer|director}} }} '''John Dixon Paragon''' (December 9, 1954 – April 3, 2021) was an American actor, writer, and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]'', in which he portrayed the characters Jambi the Genie<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/shout-factory-pee-wee-playhouse-588490/|title=Shout! Factory Nabs 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' Distribution Rights|last=Barnes|first=Mike|date=July 18, 2013|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> and Pterri<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shafer|first=Ellise|date=2021-06-18|title=John Paragon, ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ Star, Dies at 66|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/john-paragon-dead-dies-pee-wees-playhouse-1235000368/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-18|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> (the latter being a voice role); he also served as a writer and director on a number of episodes.<ref name="Gaines 2011">{{cite book|last=Gaines|first=Caseen|date=2011|title=Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Ec_9mT3_QkC&pg=PA212|publisher=[[ECW Press]]|page=212|isbn=978-1550229981}}</ref> ==Early life== Paragon was born on December 9, 1954, in [[Anchorage, Alaska]],<ref>{{cite web |title=John Paragon – Broadway Cast & Staff |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/john-paragon-488106 |website=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> but grew up and attended schools in [[Fort Collins, Colorado]]. He graduated from [[Fort Collins High School]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Udell |first=Erin |title=Meet Jambi of Pee Wee's Playhouse fame in Fort Collins |url=https://www.coloradoan.com/story/entertainment/2016/09/27/meet-jambi-pee-wees-playhouse-fame-fort-collins/91168054/ |date=September 27, 2016 |newspaper=[[Fort Collins Coloradoan]] |access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> ==Career== Paragon got his start in the Los Angeles-based [[Improvisational theater|improvisation]] group [[The Groundlings]] alongside [[Paul Reubens]] and [[Phil Hartman]]. Paragon played Jambi the Genie on children's TV show ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]''. In addition to writing many of its regular season episodes, Paragon co-wrote (with Reubens) the ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special]]'' in 1988, for which they were nominated an Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Children's Special. Paragon's other roles include Cedric, one half of the couple [[Bob and Cedric]] on the television series ''[[Seinfeld]]''; the title character in the children's movie ''[[The Frog Prince (1986 film)|The Frog Prince]]''; the sex shop salesman in ''[[Eating Raoul]]''; and the owner of a Strip-o-gram business in the 1986 film ''[[Echo Park (1986 film)|Echo Park]]''. He collaborated with fellow Groundling [[Cassandra Peterson]] on numerous Elvira projects, including the recurring role of The Breather, an annoying caller, for her first television series on [[KCAL-TV|KHJ-TV]]-Los Angeles. Paragon worked with [[Walt Disney Imagineering]] on ways to incorporate improvisational performance into attractions at Disney parks. In this capacity, he performed as the keeper of [[Lucky the Dinosaur]] during the test runs of the animatronic figure. Paragon returned to his performance as Jambi the Genie in the Broadway outing of the [[Pee-wee Herman]] stage show that began performances at the [[Stephen Sondheim Theater]] on October 26, 2010. ==Death== Paragon died of a heart attack at his home on April 3, 2021, in [[Palm Springs, California]], at the age of 66. News of his death was not made public until June.<ref name="Hughes 2021">{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/r-i-p-john-paragon-pee-wees-playhouses-jambi-the-geni-1847127094|title=R.I.P. John Paragon, Pee-wee's Playhouse's Jambi the Genie|last=Hughes|first=William|date=June 18, 2021|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Greg |title=John Paragon Dies: Jambi The Genie Of ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ Was 66 |url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/john-paragon-dead-obituary-jambi-the-genie-pee-wees-playhouse-was-66-1234777798/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618144527/https://deadline.com/2021/06/john-paragon-dead-obituary-jambi-the-genie-pee-wees-playhouse-was-66-1234777798/ |url-status=live |archive-date=June 18, 2021 |date=June 18, 2021 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roberto |first=Melissa |title=John Paragon, ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse' star, dead at 66 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/john-paragon-pee-wees-playhouse-star-dead |date=June 18, 2021 |work=[[Fox News]] |access-date=June 18, 2021 |quote=An official at the Riverside County Coroner in California confirmed to Fox News that Paragon died back on April 3 in Palm Springs. His cause of death has not been revealed.}}</ref> ==Filmography== === Films === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ ! Year ! Title ! [[Film director|Director]] ! [[Screenwriter|Writer]] ! [[Actor]] ! Role ! class=unsortable | Notes ! class=unsortable | {{Tooltip|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}} |- | 1980 | ''[[Cheech and Chong's Next Movie]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Director | | |- | rowspan="4" |1982 | ''[[Eating Raoul]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Sex Shop Salesman | | |- | ''[[Pandemonium (1982 film)|Pandemonium]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Prisoner | | |- | ''[[Things Are Tough All Over]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Red Carpet Man #1 | | |- | ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Economy Flight Attendant | | |- | 1983 | ''[[Going Berserk]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Rooster | | |- | 1984 | ''Uncensored'' | | | {{yes}} | Various | [[Direct-to-video]] film | |- | rowspan="2" |1985 | ''[[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Movie Lot Actor | | |- | ''[[Get Out of My Room]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Robert Walters | Direct-to-video [[mockumentary]] | |- | rowspan="2" |1986 | ''[[Echo Park (1986 film)|Echo Park]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Hugo | | |- | ''[[The Frog Prince (1986 film)|The Frog Prince]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Ribbit / Prince of Freedly | | |- | 1987 | ''[[North Shore (1987 film)|North Shore]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Professor | | |- | 1988 | ''[[Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (film)|Elvira: Mistress of the Dark]]'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Gas Station Attendant | | |- | 1989 | ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Richard Fletcher | | |- | rowspan="2" |1992 | ''[[Double Trouble (1992 film)|Double Trouble]]'' | {{yes}} | | {{yes}} | FBI Agent | | <ref name="Hughes 2021" /> |- |''[[Honey, I Blew Up the Kid]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Lab Technician | | |- | rowspan="2" |1994 | ''Every Breath'' | | | {{yes}} | Director | | |- | ''[[Twin Sitters]]'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Loan officer | | <ref name="Hughes 2021" /> |- | 1996 | ''[[The Rich Man's Wife]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Maitre D' | | |- | 2001 | ''[[Elvira's Haunted Hills]]'' | | {{yes}} | | {{n/a}} | | |- | 2006 | ''[[Red Riding Hood (2006 film)|Red Riding Hood]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Fisherman | | |- | 2016 | ''[[Pee-wee's Big Holiday]]'' | | | {{yes}} | TV Cameraman | | |- |} Also production consultant direct-to-video ''ThrillerVideo'' (1985). === Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ ! Year ! Name ! Director ! Writer ! Actor ! Role ! class=unsortable | Notes ! class=unsortable | {{Tooltip|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}} |- | 1981 | ''[[The Pee-wee Herman Show]]'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Jambi / Pterri (voice) | [[Television film]] | |- | 1981–2011 | ''[[Elvira's Movie Macabre]]'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Breather | 6 episodes as actor; 1 episode as writer | <ref name="Hughes 2021" /> |- | 1982 | ''[[Madame's Place]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Holistic doctor | 1 episode | |- | rowspan="3" |1983 | ''The Paragon of Comedy'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Various | Television film | |- | ''The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour'' | | | {{yes}} | Various | | |- | ''[[The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show]]'' | | | {{yes}} | (voice) | | |- | rowspan="4" |1984 | ''Last of the Great Survivors'' | | | {{yes}} | Beef | Television film | |- | ''Cheeseball Presents'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Breather | Television film | |- | ''Welcome to the Fun Zone'' | | | {{yes}} | Himself | Television film | |- | ''Elvira's MTV Halloween Party'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Breather | Television film | |- | 1985 | ''FTV'' | | | {{yes}} | Various | | |- | 1985–2011 | ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Pterri (voice) | 1 episode as actor, 1 episode as writer | |- | 1986 | ''[[Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Raddichio | 1 episode | |- | 1986–90 | ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Jambi / Pterri (voice) | 41 episodes as actor; 25 episodes as writer;<br>20 episodes as director | <ref name="Gaines 2011" /> |- | 1987 | ''[[Cheers]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Grif Palmer | 1 episode | |- | rowspan="2" |1988 | ''[[Sledge Hammer!]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Durward Monroe | 1 episode | |- | ''The Cheech Show'' | | {{yes}} | | {{n/a}} | Television film | |- | 1991 | ''[[On the Television]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Various | 1 episode | |- | 1992 | ''Ring of the Musketeers'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Air Traffic Controller | Television film | |- | 1993 | ''The Elvira Show'' | | | {{yes}} | Voice of 'Reinfield' | | |- | 1995 | ''Kirk'' | | | {{yes}} | Ricky | 1 episode | |- | 1995–96 | ''Night Stand'' | | | {{yes}} | Bachelor #3 / Dr. Ed Burns | 5 episodes | |- | 1995–98 | ''[[Seinfeld]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Cedric | 3 episodes | <ref name="Hughes 2021" /> |- | 1996 | ''[[Renegade (TV series)|Renegade]]'' | {{yes}} | | | {{n/a}} | 1 episode | |- | 1996–98 | ''[[Silk Stalkings]]'' | {{yes}} | | | {{n/a}} | 10 episodes | <ref name="Hughes 2021" /> |- | 1997 | ''[[Pacific Blue (TV series)|Pacific Blue]]'' | {{yes}} | | | {{n/a}} | 1 episode | |- | rowspan="2" |1999 | ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' | | | {{yes}} | Bokar | Episode: "[[Prodigal Daughter (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Prodigal Daughter]]" | |- | ''[[Mega Babies]]'' | | {{yes}} | | {{n/a}} | 2 episodes | |- | 2001 | ''[[You Don't Know Jack (game show)|You Don't Know Jack]]'' | | {{yes}} | | {{n/a}} | Also consultant | |- | 2011 | ''The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway'' | | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Jambi / Pterri (voice) | Television film | |- | 2014 | ''[[Elvira's Movie Macabre|13 Nights of Elvira]]'' | | {{yes}} | | {{n/a}} | Also producer and music supervisor | |- |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{IMDb name|660893}} * {{amg name|id=105567}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Paragon, John}} [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:2021 deaths]] [[Category:American male comedians]] [[Category:21st-century American comedians]] [[Category:American male screenwriters]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:American television directors]] [[Category:American television writers]] [[Category:Male actors from Anchorage, Alaska]] [[Category:Male actors from Colorado]] [[Category:American male television writers]] [[Category:Screenwriters from Alaska]] [[Category:21st-century American screenwriters]] [[Category:21st-century American male writers]]'