Paul Rudd is a man of many hats: he’s one of the sexiest men alive, he’s a hilarious comedic actor, he’s an incredible dancer, and he plays numerous instruments. Born on April 6, 1969, in New Jersey, Rudd started out with a background in theater.
He attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in theater, then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Art with fellow actor Matthew Lillard. Furthering his education, he spent three months studying Jacobean drama in England.
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Paul Rudd’s funniest moments occurred in so many great pieces of comedic work. You may know him from 2009’s I Love You, Man for “slappin’ da bass” or as seemingly stupid Ned in 2011’s Our Idiot Brother. Rudd has taken on many acting roles, but most of us know him as the Ant-Man aka Scott Lang.
The actor made his debut over 30 years ago in 1991 when he starred in a Super Nintendo commercial. The following year, Rudd made his first television appearance, starring in the drama series Sisters, appearing in 20 episodes across three seasons. He then left the show to film his breakout film role in 1995’s Clueless as Alicia Silverstone’s love interest, Josh.
From there, Rudd’s acting roles came pouring in. He starred in the best rendition of Shakespeare’s iconic play Romeo and Juliet with 1996’s Romeo + Juliet alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, and John Leguizamo. In 2002, he was cast on Friends as Mike Hannigan, who dates and then marries Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow).
The early 2000s is when Rudd really made his mark as a comedic actor. In 2004, he began working with director/producer Judd Apatow, first on the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, then the following year on The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He subsequently worked with Apatow in 2007’s Knocked Up as frustrated husband Pete, married to Leslie Mann’s character Debbie.
Take a look below at Paul Rudd’s moments in film and television (Warning: many of these scenes are NSFW*):
