Before Paul Rudd became famous and was named 2021’s People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, he worked as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah DJ. But Rudd’s DJ days came to an end when he played Josh (star Alicia Silverstone’s step-brother) in the 1995 sleeper hit movie “Clueless,” which went on to become a cult classic. Then from 2002-2004 the actor and comedian played Mike, boyfriend of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), on “Friends,” which was one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Rudd also acted in many films directed and produced by Judd Apetow. And he starred as Ant-Man.
Rudd’s parents, who are from London, are both descendants of Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. (The original family last name on his father’s side was Rudnitzky – his grandfather shortened it to Rudd.) His parents are actually second cousins. Though he was born in New Jersey and grew up in Kansas, Paul celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Ontario, Canada.
Although he’s not a practicing Jew, when he was on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast in 2018 Rudd explained to Maron why he insisted that his son Jack have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony: “There is something to be said about participating in something that is thousands of years old, that gives you a sense of sanity and something continued.”
In addition to their son, Jack, Rudd and his wife Julie Yaeger have a daughter, Darby. They also have a dog, which Paul is often photographed walking.
