Paul Rudd (DJ), At Work

Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. Rudd studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his acting debut in 1991. He was included on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list in 2019, and was named ''People'' magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2021. The accolades he has received include a Critics' Choice Television Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Rudd appeared in the films ''Clueless'' (1995), '' Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' (1995), ''Romeo + Juliet'' (1996), ''Wet Hot American Summer'' (2001), '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004), ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), '' I Love You, Man'' (2009), and ''This Is 40'' (2012). He has played the superhero Scott Lang / Ant-Man in five Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, from ''Ant-Man'' (2015) to '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'' (2023). He played Gary Grooberson in the ''Ghostbusters'' films ''Afterlife'' (2021) and '' Frozen Empire'' (2024).

Rudd has also appeared in numerous television shows, including the sitcom ''Friends'' (2002–2004) as Mike Hannigan, and has featured as a guest host of ''Saturday Night Live'' multiple times. He had a dual role in the comedy series '' Living with Yourself'' (2019), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. He starred in the miniseries ''The Shrink Next Door'' (2021), and featured in the Hulu comedy series ''Only Murders in the Building'' (2023–2024), which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Early life and education

Paul Stephen Rudd was born on April 6, 1969, in Passaic, New Jersey, to English Jewish parents. His father, Michael Rudd (1943–2008), was a historical tour guide and worked for Trans World Airlines (TWA). His mother, Gloria Irene Granville, was a sales manager at television station KSMO-TV in Kansas City, Missouri. They were both from London, with his father hailing from Edgware and his mother from Surbiton, and both were descended from Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants who moved to England from Belarus, Poland and Russia. His parents were second cousins.Stated on ''Finding Your Roots'', October 30, 2017. Rudd had a bar mitzvah service in Ontario, Canada. Growing up, he loved reading the British comics ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy'', which his uncle sent him from the United Kingdom.

When Rudd was ten, his family moved to Lenexa in Johnson County, Kansas. Because of his father's occupation, they also spent three years in Anaheim, California. In Kansas, Rudd attended Broadmoor Junior High and graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in 1987. He placed fifth in Humorous Interpretation at the 1987 National Forensics League National Tournament. He attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in theater and belonged to the Sigma Nu fraternity's Nu chapter. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts with fellow actor Matthew Lillard. He also spent three months studying Jacobean drama at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford. While at acting school, he worked as a disc jockey (DJ) at bar mitzvahs. After graduation, he had a variety of odd jobs, including glazing hams at the Holiday Ham Company in Overland Park, Kansas.

Career

Film and television

Rudd made his acting debut in 1991 when he starred in a commercial promoting the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (which he would reference in a 2025 commercial for the Nintendo Switch 2). Starting in 1992, he had a recurring role on the television drama ''Sisters'' as Kirby Quimby Philby. In 1994, he appeared in '' Wild Oats'' for six episodes. In 1995, he left ''Sisters'' for one season to appear in the comedy film ''Clueless''. Rudd followed ''Clueless'' with supporting roles in films such as '' Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' as Tommy Doyle, ''William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'', '' The Locusts'', ''Overnight Delivery'', ''The Object of My Affection'', and ''200 Cigarettes''. He was in the cast of the 1999 film ''The Cider House Rules'' that received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

He played FBI Agent Ian Curtis in the 2000 Hong Kong action film ''Gen-Y Cops''. In 2002, he was cast on the sitcom ''Friends'' as Mike Hannigan, who dates and marries Phoebe Buffay. In 2006, he appeared in several episodes of ''Reno 911!'' as Guy Gerricault (pronounced "jericho"), the coach of a lamaze class; then portrayed a drug lord in the film '' Reno 911!: Miami.'' He guest-starred as a has-been 1990s rock star, Desmond Fellows, on the television series ''Veronica Mars'', in the 2007 episode "Debasement Tapes."

The year 2004 marked the start of Rudd's work with director/producer Judd Apatow, first on the film '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' with Steve Carell, produced by Apatow; and again in 2005 in ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' with Carell, directed by Apatow. He subsequently appeared in 2007's ''Knocked Up'' which was written, produced and directed by Apatow. He narrated the 2007 edition of the long-running sports documentary series '' Hard Knocks'', which featured the Kansas City Chiefs, whom he continues to support. It was the only season not to feature the series' regular narrator, Liev Schreiber.

Rudd appeared as John Lennon in the comedy film '' Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'' in 2007 and as a drug-addled surf instructor in ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' in 2008, both of which Apatow produced. Rudd had uncredited cameos in ''Year One'' (2009) and ''Bridesmaids'' (2011). In 2012, he starred in and co-produced with Apatow ''Wanderlust''. He starred in the ''Knocked Up'' spinoff ''This Is 40'', directed and produced by Apatow, and reprised his role of Brian Fantana in '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues'' (2013).

In 2007, he starred in ''The Oh in Ohio'' and ''The Ten'', which reunited him with David Wain and Michael Showalter, and then in '' Over Her Dead Body'' the next year. In his next comedy, which he also wrote, ''Role Models'', he and co-star Seann William Scott portray energy drink salesmen forced to perform community service in a child mentoring program.

In 2009, Rudd again appeared with Jason Segel in ''I Love You, Man'' where he and Segel play buddies who bond over their shared love for the rock band Rush. Both Rudd and Segel are themselves fans of the band. Also in 2009, Rudd co-created the TV series ''Party Down'' with John Embom, Rob Thomas, and Dan Etheridge. He lent his voice to the DreamWorks animated movie ''Monsters vs. Aliens''.

In 2010, Rudd reunited with Carell for the comedy ''Dinner for Schmucks''. In 2012, he had a supporting role in the drama ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower.'' He starred in the 2011 comedy-drama film ''Our Idiot Brother''. It was the fifth film that Rudd starred in with Elizabeth Banks. He had previously appeared with her in ''Wet Hot American Summer'' (2001), ''The Baxter'' (2005), ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005), and ''Role Models'' (2008).

In 2012 and 2015, Rudd appeared in four episodes of NBC's '' Parks and Recreation'' as a rival of Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope, a role for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. In 2014, he began providing voiceovers for Hyundai television commercials. He has also voiced the audiobook recordings of John Hodgman's books '' The Areas of My Expertise'' (2005) and '' More Information Than You Require'' (2008).

On December 19, 2013, Rudd was officially confirmed as cast in the 2015 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film ''Ant-Man''. He played lead character Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Rudd reprised his role in '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) as well as ''Ant-Man''s 2018 sequel, ''Ant-Man and the Wasp''; he also co-wrote the latter. Rudd returned alongside Evangeline Lilly in '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), which received critical acclaim and went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time. He reprised his role in 2023 with '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania''.

In 2015, Rudd reprised his role as Andy from ''Wet Hot American Summer'' in the Netflix prequel '' Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp'', alongside an ensemble cast including Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Elizabeth Banks, all reprising their roles from the 2001 film. In 2016, he appeared in the comedy-drama film '' The Fundamentals of Caring'', and lent his voice to the animated films ''The Little Prince'' and ''Sausage Party''. He also lent his voice to a struggling actor named John in the animated comedy film ''Nerdland'' (2016). Rudd was also cast as the lead in '' The Catcher Was a Spy'' (2018), playing Moe Berg, a catcher for the Boston Red Sox who joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. In 2019, Rudd starred in Netflix's comedy series '' Living with Yourself,'' which he executive produced. He also appeared in season 3 of Hulu's comedy mystery series ''Only Murders in the Building''.

From 2004 until 2021, during all appearances on the late night comedy shows hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien, when promoting his projects Rudd would explain the clip that is about to be shown, but would instead show a clip from the 1988 movie ''Mac and Me''. Rudd admitted that he "never imagined" that the running gag would last so long: "There's something so tricky about it. Cause here I am. I'm gonna sell my wares on TV. Like, 'Here's something from what I just filmed.' It just seemed—and still does to a large extent—kind of insincere." Rudd continued the tradition with an audio version of the prank in a 2022 episode "Paul Rudd Returns" on the podcast ''Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend''.

In 2024, Rudd received two nominations at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards; for his role as a murder victim in the mystery series ''Only Murders in the Building'' he was one of the nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while his narration in the National Geographic documentary series '' Secrets of the Octopus'' earned him a nomination for Outstanding Narrator.

Theatre

In 1997, Rudd performed in the Broadway play ''The Last Night of Ballyhoo''. The next year he appeared in ''Twelfth Night'' at the Lincoln Center Theatre. In 2006, he appeared in the Broadway production of ''Three Days of Rain'' at the Bernard Jacobs Theater. In 2012, Rudd appeared in the Broadway production of Craig Wright's ''Grace'' at the Cort Theatre, with Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon and seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner.

In 2000–2001, Rudd was in a production of Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Lyric Theatre, London. In 2001, he starred as Adam in the original London production of ''The Shape of Things'', and again Off-Broadway for three months starting in October 2001. Two years later, a film version was made with the same cast.

Personal life

In 2003, Rudd married Julie Yaeger, whom he met in his publicist's office, where she worked. She has since become a screenwriter and producer. They live in Rhinebeck, New York, with their two children: a son born in 2006 and a daughter born in 2010.

Rudd is a fan of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals, the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he narrated the 2007 season of HBO's '' Hard Knocks,'' and the University of Kansas' sports teams, the Jayhawks. Rudd has also narrated the Chiefs' annual Super Bowl recap episodes of '' America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions'' in 2020, 2023, and 2024.

Rudd received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 1, 2015, unveiling the 2,554th star on Hollywood Boulevard. He said, "I remember being a kid and walking this boulevard and reading the names and thinking about what so many other millions of people thought about, which is, you know, 'Who's that?'"

Since 2014, Rudd and fellow actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan have been co-owners of Samuel's Sweet Shop, a candy store in Rhinebeck, New York that they saved from closing when the previous owner, a friend of theirs, died unexpectedly.

Rudd's seemingly ageless appearance has been subject to numerous jokes and memes; it was referenced in ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024) where Deadpool and Wolverine stumble upon Giant-Man's corpse, prompting the former to say "Paul Rudd finally aged!" Responding to the jokes, Rudd has explained that eight hours of sleep, along with cardio, exercise with weights, and healthy meals, make it possible for him to age well.

Rudd identifies as Jewish, although he has added that he is not "particularly religious". While promoting the film ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'', the actor said that if he could talk with anyone throughout history, he would want to speak with Jesus.

Philanthropy and advocacy

Rudd is a supporter of the Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people who stutter. He hosted its 6th Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit in January 2018. He told '' Vanity Fair'' that he became an advocate for stuttering awareness after portraying a character who stuttered in a play. Also, he is a founder of The Big Slick, a celebrity charity sports event held in Kansas City each June that supports Kansas City's Children's Mercy Hospital.

Rudd was part of Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity, to increase awareness and investment in Alzheimer's research.

Filmography and awards

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudd, Paul
1969 births
20th-century American Jews
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
Actors from the New York metropolitan area
Actors from Passaic, New Jersey
Alumni of the British American Drama Academy
American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
American film producers
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of English-Jewish descent
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American television producers
Frat Pack
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American screenwriters
Living people
Male actors from Kansas
Male actors from New Jersey
People from Lenexa, Kansas
People from Overland Park, Kansas
Screenwriters from Kansas
Screenwriters from New Jersey
University of Kansas alumni
Writers from Passaic, New Jersey