Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an
American actor and
screenwriter. He primarily plays
comedy roles, and is most well-known for his roles in the films
The 40-Year-Old Virgin,
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,
Knocked Up and
I Love You, Man, as well as portraying
Mike Hannigan for two years in
Friends.
Early life
Rudd was born in
Passaic, New Jersey, the son of
Jewish immigrants from
England;
[Bangitout.com: Movies that Bang! Hiller Movie Reviews: The Shape of Things (2003)] his family's original surname was "Rudnitzky".
His father Michael was a historical tour guide who was formerly the vice president of
World Airways, while Rudd's mother, Gloria, was a sales manager at
television station KSMO-TV.
Rudd was raised in
Overland Park,
Kansas. He attended high school at
Shawnee Mission West and college at the
University of Kansas, where he was a member of
Sigma Nu fraternity.
[Paul Rudd - Yahoo! TV]
Career
Rudd made his breakout performance in the 1995 film
Clueless. Additional credits include
Wet Hot American Summer,
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,
The Cider House Rules,
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet,
Friends (in the recurring role of
Mike Hannigan, who married
Phoebe Buffay in 2004),
The Object of My Affection, and
The 40-Year-Old Virgin. While he played the original Josh in
Clueless, he returned to play the character of Sonny when the movie was adapted into a
television show in 1996. Rudd's
Broadway credits include
The Last Night of Ballyhoo (1997),
Twelfth Night (1998), and
Three Days of Rain (2006). He guest-starred as a has-been 1990s rock star, Desmond Fellows, on the television series,
Veronica Mars, in an episode titled "
Debasement Tapes". He has also appeared in the
audiobook recording of
John Hodgman's book
The Areas of My Expertise.
