Paul Rudd

Rudd was born on April 6, 1969 in Passaic, New Jersey.[3][4] His father, Michael Rudd, was a historical tour guide and former vice-president of Trans World Airlines who died of cancer when Rudd was 39.[5][6][7] His mother, Gloria Irene (Granville), was a sales manager at the television station KCMO-TV in Kansas City, Missouri.[8][9][10] His parents were born in England; his father was from Edgware and his mother from Surbiton, both in London.[11][12] Rudd's parents were both Jewish (descended from Jewish immigrants who moved to Britain from Russia, Belarus, and Poland).[3][8][13][14][15][16] Rudd's parents were second cousins.[17] His father's family's original surname, "Rudnitsky", was changed by his grandfather to "Rudd", and his mother's family's surname was originally "Goldstein".[17][18] Rudd had a Bar Mitzvah service.[8][19] Growing up, he loved reading British comics, The Beano, and The Dandy, which his uncle in the U.K. would send to him.[20]

At age ten, his family moved to Lenexa, Kansas. They spent three years living in Anaheim, California, because of his father's occupation.[21][22][23] Rudd attended Broadmoor Junior High and graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in the class of 1987. Rudd attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in theater.[24] He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity's Nu Chapter there.[25] He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West in Los Angeles with fellow actor Matthew Lillard.[24] Rudd spent three months studying Jacobean drama at the British American Drama Academy based in Oxford, England.[26][27] While attending acting school, Rudd worked as a Bar Mitzvah disc jockey.[28]

1. Freeman, Hadley (2015-07-09). "Paul Rudd on Ant-Man, being Hollywood's go-to nice guy and growing up with English parents in Kansas". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
2. "Paul Rudd's House: Where Wife Julie Yaeger & His Kids Call Home". Archived from the original on 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
3. Freeman, Hadley (July 9, 2015). "Paul Rudd on Ant-Man, being Hollywood's go-to nice guy and growing up with English parents in Kansas". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
4. "Paul Rudd biography". Biography.com. A+E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
5. Berman, Ali (March 22, 2011). "Paul Rudd's Birthday Wish Is For You To Help Him Cure Cancer". Ecorazzi. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
6. "Will Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd's Discussion of Cremated Therapists, Dogs, and Fathers Make You Want to See Their New Movie?". Vanity Fair. February 14, 2012.
7. "Julia Roberts presents 'Honorary Irishman' award to actor Paul Rudd". IrishCentral. February 27, 2011.
8. Pfefferman, Naomi (December 28, 2012). "Paul Rudd Q & A: 'This is 40'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
9. Weiner, Caren (April 26, 1998). "FILM; Suddenly the Object Of Much Attention". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
10. Garron, Barry (October 23, 1994). "Actor takes his career in stride For Paul Rudd, the cancellation of 'Wild Oats is merely a bend in the road". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
11. Whitty, Stephen (March 22, 2009). "Paul Rudd interview: He's happy to have a job – any job". The Star-Ledger. Newark. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
12. Stated on The Graham Norton Show, February 1, 2013.
13. "Jews Making News: Parker, Rudd". Atlanta Jewish Times. May 28, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
14. Schleier, Curt (October 26, 2017). "Paul Rudd learns about his family history from a JTA article on 'Finding Your Roots'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
15. Ginott, Jamie H. (April 17, 1998). "An 'Object' of Affection: Talking with Paul Rudd". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
16. Kuperinsky, Amy (November 1, 2017). "N.J. actor Paul Rudd plumbs family history on 'Finding Your Roots'". NJ.com. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
17. Stated on Finding Your Roots, October 31, 2017.
18. Weisz, Marni (July 14, 2015). "Interview: Paul Rudd on breaking into the Marvel Universe in Ant-Man". Cineplex.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
19. Rudd, Paul (Summer 1997). "Interview: Alfred Uhry". Bomb. No. 60. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
20. Armstrong, Stephen (July 27, 2015). "Was Pixar's Inside Out inspired by The Beano?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
21. Karpel, Ari (May 25, 2007). "Spotlight on Paul Rudd: Comedy's go-to guy improvises his next career move after 'Knocked Up'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
22. Mills, Nancy (July 26, 2010). "Paul Rudd's offbeat 'Dinner' date". Reading Eagle. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
23. Spitznagel, Eric (October 2011). "Playboy Interview: Paul Rudd". Playboy. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
24. Marx, Rebecca Flint. "Paul Rudd: Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
25. "Famous Members of Sigma Nu". Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
26. Heath, Chris (May 2009). "You Know You're Paul Rudd When..." GQ. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
27. "Alumni". British American Drama Academy. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
28. Stern, Marlow (October 8, 2012). "Paul Rudd on Grace, Bar Mitzvahs and This is 40". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2018.

• Paul Rudd on IMDb
• Paul Rudd at the Internet Broadway Database
• Interview with Paul Rudd about Knocked Up Archived 2007-12-21 at the Wayback Machine