Paul Rudd

Rudd in 2012, photo by prphotos

Birth Name: Paul Stephen Rudd

Place of Birth: Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 6, 1969

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Paul Rudd is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer. Among his many roles are Clueless, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Overnight Delivery, The Object of My Affection, The Cider House Rules, the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, The Shape of Things, the Anchorman films, Reno 911!: Miami, The Ten, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models, I Love You, Man; Monsters vs. Aliens, Dinner for Schmucks, Our Idiot Brother, Wanderlust, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, This Is 40, Admission, All Is Bright, The Fundamentals of Caring, The Catcher Was a Spy, Living with Yourself, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Shrink Next Door, the sitcom Friends, and Scott Lang / Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Paul is the son of Gloria Irene (Granville), a television station sales manager, and Michael Rudd, an airline exeuctive. His parents were/are both Jewish, and were born in England, his father being from Edgware and his mother from Surbiton. Paul had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. His ancestors were Jewish emigrants from Eastern Europe, Poland, Belarus, and Russia, to England. A picture of Paul’s parents can be seen here. Paul was largely raised in Lenexa, Kansas, where his father worked, as well as Anaheim, California. He is married to publicist and writer Julie Yaeger, with whom he has two children.

Paul has said:

My whole family is Jewish; my wife, Julie, is Jewish – there isn’t anyone in my family who isn’t Jewish. I was bar mitzvahed Reform; we were pretty laid back, but it’s like, oh yeah, I went to synagogue. I know what it’s like to look for matzoh [laughs]. I know the culture and I know the food. I know what a Haggadah is!… We have a lineage that is so many thousands of years old, that you just relate. It is a tribe; it’s like, “Oh, yeah, that’s my team,” and I feel that for sure.

Paul’s parents were second cousins. Paul’s paternal great-grandmother, Etia/Etla/Ethel Gejer/Gayer, was the sister of Paul’s maternal great-grandfather, Isaac Gayer/Gejer.

Paul was selected People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2021. He is the fourth man of Jewish heritage to have been given this title by the magazine (Harrison Ford, in 1998, is the first, Adam Levine, in 2013, is the second, and David Beckham, in 2015, is the third).

Paul’s paternal grandfather was David Rudd (born Davis Rudnitsky, the son of Shmuel/Samuel Ar’ye Nehemov/Nokhimov Rudnitsky/Rudnjtsky and Esther/Ester Schustan). Paul’s grandfather Davis was born in St George in the East, London, England, to Jewish parents from Kholmich, Belarus. Shmuel was the son of Nokhim/Nechemiah/Nehemov Rudnitsky and Sura. Esther was the daughter of Itzhak/Yitzhak Schustan and Dveira/Dvora.

Paul’s paternal grandmother was Bessie Milafsky/Barnett (the daughter of Boruch Symcha “Barney” Miliawski/Milafsky/Milawsky/Barnett and Etia/Etla/Ethel Gejer/Gayer). Paul’s grandmother Bessie was born in Łódź, Russia-Poland, to a Jewish family, with her parents having been from Włodawa, Sledice.

Paul’s maternal grandfather was Louis Granville (born Louis Goldsztejn/Goldstein, the son of Kopel/Charles Goldsztejn/Goldstein and Miriam/Mariam “Millie”/”Minnie” Schneiderman). Paul’s grandfather Louis was born in Mile End Old Town, London, England, to Polish Jewish parents. Kopel was from Wolbrom, Kraków. Mariam was from Łódź, and was the daughter of Label Schneiderman.

Paul’s maternal grandmother was Minnie Gayer (the daughter of Isaac Gayer/Gejer and Beila “Betsy” Berenstein/Bernstein). Paul’s grandmother Minnie was born in Bethnal Green, London, England, to Polish Jewish parents. Isaac was born in Włodawa, Sledice. Beila likely was from Łódź.

Sources: Information about Paul’s ancestry – http://forward.com
http://www.thecrimson.com

Genealogy of Paul Rudd – https://www.geni.com

Paul’s paternal grandfather, Davis Rudnitsky, on the 1911 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org