Paul Rudd is an American actor who rose to fame as a teenager after starring in the comedy film ‘Clueless.’ He quickly rose through the ranks, gaining more roles and going on to star in a number of successful films. ‘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,’ are just a few of his well-known flicks.’ He rose to fame after portraying Scott Lang/Ant-Man in the film ‘Ant-Man.’ In ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ he reprised his role as Ant-Man. He’s also been on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘Robot Chicken,’ and the hit sitcom ‘Friends.’ Rudd, who was born in New Jersey, studied drama at the ‘University of Kansas’ and afterwards at the ‘British American Drama Academy.’ He has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most popular actors. Prior to entering the film industry, he worked and performed in theater shows. He is also a successful producer and screenwriter.
Childhood and Adolescence
Paul Stephen Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on April 6, 1969. He and his family moved to Lenexa, Kansas, when he was ten years old. He afterwards lived in Anaheim, California for three years. His parents were both Jewish, and he had a traditional Jewish bar mitzvah. ‘Broadmoor Junior High’ and ‘Shawnee Mission West High School’ were his educational institutions. He subsequently went on to study drama at the ‘University of Kansas’ for two years. For a three-month workshop, he went to the ‘British Drama Academy’ at ‘Oxford University.’ He also took part in theatre shows while he was studying.
Career of Paul Rudd
He made his breakthrough in the comedy picture ‘Clueless,’ directed by Amy Heckerling, in 1995. He also appeared in the film ‘Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers’ that same year.
He portrayed Sonny in the 1996 television adaptation of ‘Clueless.’ In the same year, he also appeared in the film ‘Romeo + Juliet,’ playing the part of Paris. He also appeared in the film ‘The Size of Watermelons’ (1996).
He starred as Earl in John Patrick Kelley’s film ‘The Locusts’ in 1997. He starred in two films the next year, ‘Overnight Delivery’ and ‘The Object of My Affection.’
He was nominated for a ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ in 2000 for his performance in the film ‘The Cider House Rules.’ He also appeared in the film ‘200 Cigarettes’ that same year.
In an episode of the TV series ‘Strangers with Candy,’ he played Brent Brooks in 2000. He also appeared in the television film ‘The Great Gatsby’ that same year.
In the television sitcom ‘Friends,’ he played Mike Hannigan in 2002. ‘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’ were among his later flicks.
He portrayed Peter Klaven in the film ‘I Love You, Man’ in 2009. In the same year, he voiced Derek Dietl in the film ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ and then appeared in the film ‘Year One,’ as a cameo.
He appeared in the films ‘Dinner for Schmucks’ and ‘How Do You Know’ in 2010. He appeared in the films ‘Our Idiot Brother’ and ‘Bridesmaids’ the following year.
In 2012, he produced and starred in the film ‘Wanderlust,’ in which he also played George. He also starred in the critically praised films ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and ‘This Is 40’ in the same year. In the film ‘Admission,’ he portrayed the character of John in 2013. Other films in which he appeared include ‘Prince Avalanche,’ ‘This Is the End,’ and ‘All Is Bright.’ He played Joel in the 2014 American comedy film ‘They Came Together.’
Paul Rudd’s ground-breaking role occurred in 2015, when he was cast as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in the Marvel superhero picture ‘Ant-Man,’ which was both economically and critically successful. He even contributed to the film’s screenplay. In the following ‘Marvel movies,’ he reprised his role as Ant-Man in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016), ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ (2018), and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019). He co-wrote the film ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ in addition to playing the protagonist. In 2019, Paul Rudd was cast in a key part in ‘Ghostbusters 2020,’ the fourth feature film in the iconic ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise.
Major Projects of Paul Rudd
He starred in the film ‘Clueless,’ which was named the ’19th finest comedy of the last 25 years’ by Entertainment Weekly. The film was also a huge box office hit.
Paul Rudd achieved widespread notoriety for his role as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in the 2015 Marvel superhero picture ‘Ant-Man.’ The picture was well-received by both reviewers and the general public. He went on to play the same character in several more ‘Marvel’ movies.
Achievements & Awards
In 2012, he won the ‘San Diego Film Critics Society Award’ for ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ in the category of ‘Best Ensemble Performance.’ For his role in the film ‘Ant-Man,’ he earned the ‘Male Star of the Year’ award at the ‘CinemaCon Awards’ in 2015. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for ‘Best Actor’ in 2016 for his role in the film ‘Ant-Man.’
Personal History and Legacy
He married Julie Yaeger in 2003, and they have two children: Jack Sullivan, a son, and Darby, a daughter. He enjoys watching baseball and is a supporter of the Kansas City Royals. He is a member of the fraternity ‘Sigma Nu.’ He frequently returns to his high school in Overland Park, Kansas. Paul is a supporter of the ‘Stuttering Association for the Young’ (SAY), a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting stuttering young people.
Estimated Net Worth
Paul Rudd has a net worth of $70 million.
Trivia
This well-known American actor and producer used to be a ‘Bar Mitzvah DJ.’