John Dixon Paragon (December 9, 1954 – April 3, 2021) was an American actor, writer and director. He 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. He was also a writer and director on a number of episodes.
Early life Paragon was born on December 9, 1954, in Anchorage, Alaska, and grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. He graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1973.
Career Paragon got his start in the Los Angeles-based improvisation group the Groundlings alongside Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman.
He played Jambi the Genie on the children's TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse. In addition to writing many of its regular-season episodes, he co-wrote (with Reubens) the Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special in 1988, for which they were nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Children's Special.
His 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; the sex shop salesman in Eating Raoul; a surf photographer in North Shore; and the owner of a strip-o-gram business in the 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 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 test runs of the animatronic figure.
He 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 on April 3, 2021, at his home in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 66. His cause of death was heart disease and chronic alcoholism. News of his death was not made public until June 18 of that year. He 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. His urn is "a perfectly crafted depiction" of the purple-and-gold Jambi the Genie box.
Filmography
Films + Year Title Director Writer Actor Role Notes 1980 Cheech and Chong's Next Movie Director1982 Eating Raoul Sex Shop Salesman Pandemonium Prisoner Things Are Tough All Over Red Carpet Man #1 Airplane II: The Sequel Economy Flight Attendant 1983 Going Berserk Rooster 1984 Uncensored Various Direct-to-video film1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure Movie Lot Actor Get Out of My Room Robert Walters Direct-to-video mockumentary1986 Echo Park Hugo The Frog Prince Ribbit / Prince of Freedly 1987 North Shore Professor 1988 Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Gas Station Attendant 1989 UHF Richard Fletcher1992 Double Trouble FBI Agent Honey, I Blew Up the Kid Lab Technician Air Traffic Controller Manfred Wenzel 1994 Every Breath Director Twin Sitters Loan officer 1996 The Rich Man's Wife Maitre D' 2001 Elvira's Haunted Hills 2006 Red Riding Hood Fisherman 2016 Pee-wee's Big Holiday TV Cameraman Also production consultant direct-to-video ThrillerVideo (1985).
Television + Year Name Director Writer Actor Role Notes 1981 The Pee-wee Herman Show Jambi / Pterri (voice) Television film 1981–2011 Elvira's Movie Macabre Breather 6 episodes as actor; 1 episode as writer 1982 Madame's Place Holistic doctor 1 episode1983 The Paragon of Comedy Various Television film The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (voice)Episode: "No Sharking Zone"1984 Last of the Great Survivors Beef Television film Cheeseball Presents Breather Welcome to the Fun Zone Himself Elvira's MTV Halloween Party Breather 1985 FTV Various 1985–2011 Saturday Night Live Pterri (voice) 1 episode as actor, 1 episode as writer 1986 Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills Raddichio Episode: "Remodeling" 1986–90 Pee-wee's Playhouse Jambi / Pterri (voice) 41 episodes as actor; 25 episodes as writer;20 episodes as director 1987 Cheers Grif Palmer Episode: "Pudd'n Head Boyd"1988 Sledge Hammer! Durward Monroe Episode: "Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came?" The Cheech Show Television film 1991 On the Television Various Episode: "Stupid People's Court" 1992 Air Traffic Controller Television film 1993 The Elvira Show Voice of 'Reinfield' 1995 Kirk Ricky Episode: "Educating Kirk" 1995–97 Night Stand with Dick Dietrick Bachelor #3 / Dr. Ed Burns 5 episodes 1995–98 Seinfeld Cedric 3 episodes 1996 Renegade Episode: "Ransom" 1996–98 Silk Stalkings 10 episodes 1997 Pacific Blue Episode: "Sisters"1999 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Bokar Episode: "Prodigal Daughter" Mega Babies 2 episodes 2001 You Don't Know Jack Also consultant 2011 The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway Jambi / Pterri (voice) Television film 2014 13 Nights of Elvira Also producer and music supervisor
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