Biography

Early life

Paul Stephen Rudd
was born April 6. 1969 in Passaic, New Jersey,
the son of Jewish immigrants from England; 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.
He 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.

Education

American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Pasadena, CA, 1991
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, theater
British American Academy, Oxford, England

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, 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.

In 2006, he appeared in several episodes of Reno 911! as the coach of a lamaze class, and portrayed a drug lord in the film Reno 911!: Miami.

In 2007, he appeared in the films Knocked Up (his third collaboration with Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen), and The Ten (which reunites him with frequent collaborators David Wain and Michael Showalter). The same year, Rudd provided his voice for the narration of the HBO/NFL Films series Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2008, Rudd starred in Over Her Dead Body opposite Eva Longoria, the direct-to-video release I Could Never Be Your Woman opposite Michelle Pfeiffer (reuniting him with Clueless director Amy Heckerling), Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Role Models. He also appeared on Little Britain USA as the French President.

In 2009, he starred in I Love You, Man with Jason Segel.

Rudd’s Broadway credits include The Last Night of Ballyhoo (1997), Twelfth Night (1998), and Three Days of Rain (2006). He recently 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.

Running gag on Conan O’Brien
As part of a running gag during his appearances on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Rudd brings clips from the infamous film Mac and Me, where the wheelchair-bound Eric (Jade Calegory) flies off a cliff while Mac watches on, instead of showing clips from the actual film he is there to promote.

Personal life

In 2003, he married his girlfriend of five years, Julie Yaeger.
In 2006, their son Jack was born.
Although they live in Mount Pleasant, New York, Paul frequently travels to Los Angeles, if he is shooting a movie.