He was best known for his work on the television series Pee-wee's Playhouse, where he portrayed Jambi the Genie[1] and voiced Pterri the Pterodactyl.

[3] Paragon was born on December 9, 1954, in Anchorage, Alaska,[4] but grew up and attended schools in Fort Collins, Colorado.

[5][6] Paragon got his start in the Los Angeles-based improvisation group the Groundlings alongside Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman.

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; 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.