Pee Wee Herman's Hudson Valley Connection

It turns out actor Paul Reubens, better known by his stage name 'Pee Wee Herman' is originally from the Hudson Valley.

Ruebens, whose original last name was Rubenfeld, was born in Peekskill but later moved to Florida where, according to the IMDB, his parents owned a lamp store. He did spend a good amount of time in Oneonta during his younger days as well.

He first got involved in theater at age 11 and by his teen years, he was active at comedy clubs and local theaters. He even had a four-episode run on the original Gong Show. As a member of the improv comedy troupe The Groundlings, he developed several characters, most notably 'Pee Wee'. It was a failed audition for Saturday Night Live that sparked worked on a screenplay for what would become Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. The success of the movie led to a Saturday morning show called Pee-wee's Playhouse which ran for four seasons.

A 1991 arrest for indecent exposure derailed his career at the time but has since made his way back into the public's good graces. In 2016 Ruebens debuted the return of 'Pee-wee' in a Netflix special called Pee-wee's Big Holiday.