Paul Rudd

Who is Paul Rudd?

Paul Rudd is an American actor who became a teen sensation after his breakthrough role in the comedy film ‘Clueless.’ He soon worked his way up, earning more roles and went on to star in a number of hit films. Some of his well-known films, include ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ ‘Our Idiot Brother,’ ‘Dinner for Schmucks,’ ‘I Love You, Man,’ ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ and ‘Knocked Up.’ He became popular after playing the role of Scott Lang/Ant-man in the movie ‘Ant-Man.’ He went on to reprise the role as Ant-man in ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ He has also appeared in numerous television shows and series, including 'Saturday Night Live,’ 'The Simpsons,’ 'Parks and Recreation,' 'Robot Chicken,’ and the popular sitcom ‘Friends.’ Born in New Jersey, Rudd went to the ‘University of Kansas’ to study drama and later attended the ‘British American Drama Academy.’ He has established himself as one of the popular actors in Hollywood. He also worked and starred in theater productions before venturing into the film industry. He is a screenwriter and successful producer too.

Career

In 1995, he got his breakthrough role in the comedy film ‘Clueless,’ which was directed by Amy Heckerling. The same year, he also appeared in the film, ‘Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.’

In 1996, he played the role of Sonny in the television version of ‘Clueless.’ The same year, he also played the role of Paris in the film ‘Romeo + Juliet.’ Furthermore, he was seen in the film, 'The Size of Watermelons' (1996).

In 1997, he played the role of Earl in the John Patrick Kelley film, 'The Locusts.’ The next year, he appeared in two films, namely 'Overnight Delivery' and 'The Object of My Affection.’

In 2000, he earned a ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ nomination for his role in the film, ‘The Cider House Rules.’ The same year, he was also seen in the film, ‘200 Cigarettes.’

In 2000, he played the role of Brent Brooks in an episode of the TV series, 'Strangers with Candy.’ The same year, he also played a role in the television film, ‘The Great Gatsby.’

In 2002, he appeared as Mike Hannigan in the TV sitcom, ‘Friends.’ In later years, he was seen in films, such as 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ 'Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie,’ ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ 'I Could Never Be Your Woman,' and 'Knocked Up.’

In 2009, he played the role of Peter Klaven in the film, 'I Love You, Man.’ The same year, he voiced a character named Derek Dietl in the film ‘Monsters vs. Aliens' and then made a cameo appearance in the film ‘Year One.’

In 2010, he was seen in the films, 'Dinner for Schmucks' and 'How Do You Know.’ The following year, he was seen in the films, 'Our Idiot Brother' and 'Bridesmaids.'

In 2012, he produced the film 'Wanderlust' in which he also played a character named George. In the same year, he also acted in the critically acclaimed films, ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and ‘This Is 40.’

In 2013, he played the role of John in the film ‘Admission.’ He was also seen in other films, such as 'Prince Avalanche,’ 'This Is the End,' and 'All Is Bright.’

In the 2014 American comedy film ‘They Came Together,’ he appeared as Joel.

Paul Rudd’s path-breaking role came in the year 2015 when he was offered the role of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in the Marvel’s superhero film ‘Ant-Man’ which was successful commercially as well as critically. He even contributed to the screenplay of the movie.

He reprised his role as Ant-Man in several subsequent ‘Marvel movies,’ such as ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016), ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ (2018), and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019). Apart from playing the lead, he also co-wrote the movie ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp.’

In 2019, Paul Rudd was cast to play an important role in the fourth feature film in the popular ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise, ‘Ghostbusters 2020.’

Personal life

Rudd in June 2015 with his wife, Julie Yaeger

In 2003, Rudd married Julie Yaeger, whom he met (shortly after working on Clueless) in his publicist's office, where she was employed.[64] Since leaving the world of publicity, Yaeger has become a screenwriter and producer. The couple lives in Rhinebeck, New York with their two children: Jack Sullivan, born in 2006, and Darby, born in 2010.

Rudd is a fan of MLB's Kansas City Royals, Kansas Jayhawks sports, and of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he narrated the 2007 season of HBO's Hard Knocks.

Rudd received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 1, 2015. He unveiled the 2,554th star on the mile-long strip of plaques on Hollywood Boulevard. At the occasion Rudd 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?'"

Rudd is a supporter of the Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people who stutter. He hosted the organization's 6th Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit on January 22, 2018. Rudd told Vanity Fair that he became an advocate for stuttering awareness after portraying a character who stutters in a play. Rudd is also a founder of the charity The Big Slick, a celebrity studded sports-focused event held in Kansas City every June to support the works of Kansas City's Children's Mercy Hospital.

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

In November 2021, People named him the Sexiest Man Alive.