Paul Rudd is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. His career began in 1992 when he played a recurring role in the television series Sisters until 1995. In 1995, he made his film debut opposite Alicia Silverstone in the cult film Clueless, and starred as Tommy Doyle in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.[1] The following year, he played Dave Paris in Baz Luhrmann's romantic drama Romeo + Juliet. He co-starred in the ensemble comedy film Wet Hot American Summer (2001), and had further comedic roles in Role Models (2008) with Seann William Scott and I Love You, Man (2009) with Jason Segel.
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Rudd has frequently collaborated with filmmaker Judd Apatow in such comedy films as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), This Is 40 (2012), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). Since 2015, he has played the superhero Scott Lang / Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), appearing in Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). He has also starred as the Ghostbuster Gary Grooberson in the supernatural comedy films Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024.
In addition to his film career, Rudd has appeared in numerous television shows, including the NBC sitcom Friends as Mike Hannigan (2002–2004), along with guest roles on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2012), Reno 911! (2006–2007) and Parks and Recreation as businessman Bobby Newport (2012, 2015, 2020). He has also hosted Saturday Night Live five times. He reprised his role in the Netflix sequel miniseries Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017). He played a dual role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Living with Yourself (2019), for which he received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor,[2] and has since co-starred with Will Ferrell in the Apple TV+ black comedy miniseries The Shrink Next Door (2021).
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1995 | Sisters | Kirby Philby | Recurring role; credited as Paul Stephen Rudd | [53] |
| 1993 | Moment of Truth: Stalking Back | Scott | Television film | [54] |
| 1993 | The Fire Next Time | David | 1 episode; credited as Paul Stephen Rudd | [55] |
| 1994 | Runaway Daughters | Jimmy Rusoff | Television film | [56] |
| 1994 | Wild Oats | Brian Grant | Main role | [57] |
| 1996 | Clueless | Sonny | Episode: "I Got You Babe" | [58] |
| 2000 | Strangers with Candy | Brent Brooks | Episode: "The Last Temptation of Blank" | [59] |
| 2000 | The Great Gatsby | Nick Carraway | Television film | [60] |
| 2002–2004 | Friends | Mike Hannigan | Recurring role | [61] |
| 2005 | Stella | Greg | Episode: "Office Party" | [62] |
| 2006 | Cheap Seats | Dave Penders | Episode: "1996 Spelling Bee: Part 2" | [63] |
| 2006 | Robot Chicken | Various voice roles | Episode: "Book of Corrine" | [64] |
| 2006–2007 | Reno 911! | Guy Gerricault | 5 episodes | [57] |
| 2007 | Veronica Mars | Desmond Fellows | Episode: "Debasement Tapes" | [65] |
| 2007 | Hard Knocks | Narrator / Himself | Episode: "Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs" | [66] |
| 2008 | Little Britain USA | French President | Episode: "1.3" | [67] |
| 2008 | Wainy Days | Alias | Web series; Episode: "The Pickup" | [58] |
| 2008–2022 | Saturday Night Live | Host / Self | 5 episodes | [68] |
| 2009 | Delocated | Himself | Episode: "Pilot" | [69] |
| 2009–2010, 2022 | Party Down | N/A | Co-creator, writer and executive producer only | [70] |
| 2012 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Himself / Various roles | Episode: "Man Milk" | [71] |
| 2011, 2014, 2020 | The Simpsons | Dr. Zander / Himself (voices) | 3 episodes | [72][73][74] |
| 2012, 2015, 2020 | Parks and Recreation | Bobby Newport | 6 episodes | [75] |
| 2012 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Paul Rudd Wears A Red Lumberjack Flannel Shirt" | [76] |
| 2012 | Louie | Himself | Episode: "Late Show: Part 3" | [77] |
| 2013 | Burning Love | Nate | 3 episodes | [78] |
| 2015 | The Jack and Triumph Show | Himself | Episode: "Coffee" | [79] |
| 2015 | Moone Boy | George Gershwin | Episode: "Gershwin's Bucket List" | [80] |
| 2015 | WHIH Newsfront | Scott Lang | 2 episodes | [81] |
| 2015 | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Andy | Main role | [82] |
| 2015 | Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter | Himself | Episode: "Made Ya Look" | [83] |
| 2016 | Bob's Burgers | Jericho (voice) | Episode: "The Horse Rider-er" | [84] |
| 2016 | Travel Man | Himself | Episode: "48 Hours in Helsinki" | [85] |
| 2017 | Nightcap | Himself | Episode: "Go-Fund Yourself" | [86] |
| 2017 | Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later | Andy | Recurring role | [87] |
| 2018 | iZombie | Paul Rudd (voice) | Episode: "And He Shall Be A Good Man"; uncredited | [88] |
| 2018 | The Chris Gethard Show | Himself | Episode: "Stop Apologizing For Your Dream" | [89] |
| 2018 | Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell | Himself | 1 episode | [90] |
| 2019 | Living with Yourself | Miles Elliot | Main role; also executive producer | [91] |
| 2020 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Himself | Episode: "Conspiracy Theories" | [92] |
| 2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Westley | Episode: "Chapter Ten: To the Pain!" | [93] |
| 2020 | At Home with Amy Sedaris | Melisso Junkins | Episode: "New Year's" | [94] |
| 2020–2021 | Tiny World | Narrator / Himself | Main role | [95] |
| 2021-2023 | What If...? | Scott Lang / Ant-Man (voice) | 2 episodes | [96] |
| 2021 | The Shrink Next Door | Dr. Isaac Herschkopf | Main role; also executive producer | [97] |
| 2022-2023 | Only Murders in the Building | Ben Glenroy | Guest star (season 2), recurring role (season 3) | [98] |
| 2023 | Impractical Jokers | Himself | Episode: "Bret Michaels" | [99] |
| 2024 | Secrets of the Octopus | Narrator / Himself | Nature documentary (3 episodes) | [100] |
Stage
| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Last Night of Ballyhoo | Joe Farkas | Helen Hayes Theatre | [101] |
| 1998 | Twelfth Night | Orsino | Lincoln Center Theater | [102] |
| 2001 | The Shape of Things | Adam Sorenson | Almeida Theatre at Kings Cross | [103] |
| 2006 | Three Days of Rain | Walker / Ned | Bernard Jacobs Theater | [104] |
| 2012 | Craig Wright's Grace | Husband | Cort Theatre | [105] |