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13 Facts About John Paragon

1.

John Dixon Paragon was an American actor, writer and director.

2.

John Paragon was best known for his work on the television series Pee-wee's Playhouse, where he portrayed Jambi the Genie and voiced Pterri the Pterodactyl.

3.

John Paragon was a writer and director on a number of episodes.

4.

John Paragon graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1973.

5.

John Paragon got his start in the Los Angeles-based improvisation group the Groundlings alongside Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman.

6.

John Paragon played Jambi the Genie on the children's TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse.

7.

John Paragon 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 KHJ-TV-Los Angeles.

8.

John Paragon made multiple appearances at Knott's Scary Farm with Elvira at the Good Time Theater.

9.

John Paragon worked with Walt Disney Imagineering on ways to incorporate improvisational performance into attractions at Disney parks.

10.

John 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.

11.

John Paragon died on April 3,2021, at his home in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 66.

12.

John Paragon was cremated and his ashes were in the possession of Cassandra Peterson until they were interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on November 15,2022.

13.

John Paragon's urn is "a perfectly crafted depiction" of the purple-and-gold Jambi the Genie box.