John Dixon Paragon got his start in the Los Angeles-based improvisation group The Groundlings and is best known for his work on children's show Pee-wee's Playhouse where he played Jambi the Genie. In addition to his role on the series, Paragon also wrote 24 regular season episodes and co-wrote its 1988 Christmas special with Reubens, which earned a daytime Emmy nomination that same year.