John Paragon obit

John Paragon, 'Elvira' writer and genie on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' died in Palm Springs home

 

He was not on the list.

Actor, writer and director John Paragon, known for his role as Jambi the Genie on "Pee-wee's Playhouse," died at age 66 in his Palm Springs home on April 3, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner.

The coroner's office announced Paragon's death on Friday.

Sgt. Albert Martinez of the Sheriff's Department said heart disease and chronic alcohol abuse were the cause of death. The delay in the announcement was related to notification of Paragon's family, Martinez added.

Paragon got his start with the Los Angeles-based improv group The Groundlings, along with actor Paul Reubens, who portrayed Peewee Herman.

"R.I.P. John Paragon," read a tweet from The Groundlings account on Friday.

Paragon is also known for voicing the character of Pterri the Pterodactyl on "Pee-wee's Playhouse" and for portraying Cedric, of the couple Bob and Cedric, on the television sitcom "Seinfeld."

He played Thadial Bokar in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Prodigal Daughter" in 1999.

He also starred in "The Frog Prince," a children's film, according to IMBD.

Paragon worked with actress Cassandra Peterson, who rose to fame as the iconic horror hostess Elvira, and co-wrote her 1988 feature film, "Elvira Mistress of the Dark," according to IMBD.

"Lost someone that meant the world to me and was such a huge part of 'Elvira' and my life that it's impossible to express how sad I feel," Peterson wrote on her Twitter account @TheRealElvira on Friday. "John Paragon, my writing partner of 27 years ... my friend, my brother, my soul-mate. I will miss you and love you forever, Johnny."

Palm Desert resident Jimmy Cuomo, 69, worked with Paragon on "Pee-wee's Playhouse."

"John had a really good career going on — people knew him as Jambi, but he also did have that stand-up career," Cuomo told The Desert Sun.

The last time Cuomo saw Paragon was when they took the show to Broadway. Paragon was one of the few original cast members who returned along with Reubens and Lynne Marie Stewart who played Miss Yvonne.

Many of the "Playhouse" cast started at The Groundlings and were very "close-knit," Cuomo said. Peterson, he added, had also been with the improv group.

Cuomo, who still works with Reubens on "Playhouse"-related business, had not known that Paragon had a home in Palm Springs. "It was a real surprise to me," he said.

Paragon graduated from Fort Collins High School in Colorado, according to The Coloradoan.

Additional information was not immediately available from the coroner's office.

 

Filmography

 

Films

Year     Title            Director           Writer            Actor            Role            Notes            Ref(s)

1980    Cheech and Chong's Next Movie                              Yes            Director                      

1982    Eating Raoul                           Yes            Sex Shop Salesman            

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    

1985    Pee-wee's Big Adventure                                Yes            Movie Lot Actor                    

Get Out of My Room                           Yes            Robert Walters            Direct-to-video mockumentary 

1986    Echo Park                             Yes            Hugo               

The Frog Prince                           Yes            Ribbit / Prince of Freedly            

1987    North Shore                           Yes            Professor                    

1988    Elvira: Mistress of the Dark                Yes            Yes            Gas Station Attendant                    

1989    UHF                            Yes            Richard Fletcher                       

1992    Double Trouble            Yes                  Yes            FBI Agent              

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid                               Yes            Lab Technician                   

Ring of the Musketeers            Yes                  Yes            Air Traffic Controller Manfred Wenzel            

1994    Every Breath                          Yes            Director                      

Twin Sitters            Yes            Yes            Yes            Loan officer              

1996    The Rich Man's Wife                             Yes            Maitre D'                    

2001    Elvira's Haunted Hills                Yes                  —                   

2006    Red Riding Hood                             Yes            Fisherman                    

2016    Pee-wee's Big Holiday                                    Yes            TV Cameraman                 

Also production consultant direct-to-video ThrillerVideo (1985).

 

Television

Year     Name            Director           Writer            Actor            Role            Notes            Ref(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  

1982            Madame's Place                                   Yes            Holistic doctor  1 episode           

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)             

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;

20 episodes as director           

1987    Cheers                         Yes            Grif Palmer  1 episode           

1988    Sledge Hammer!                                  Yes            Durward Monroe            1 episode           

The Cheech Show               Yes                  —            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            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          

1996            Renegade        Yes                              —            1 episode           

1996–98            Silk Stalkings            Yes                              —            10 episodes          

1997    Pacific Blue     Yes                              —            1 episode           

1999    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine                              Yes            Bokar            Episode: "Prodigal Daughter"        

Mega Babies                Yes                  —            2 episodes          

2001    You Don't Know Jack                 Yes                  —            Also consultant        

2011    The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway                Yes            Yes            Jambi / Pterri (voice)            Television film 

2014    13 Nights of Elvira             Yes                  —            Also producer and music supervisor