Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the British American Drama Academy, before making his acting debut in 1992 with NBC's drama series Sisters. He is known for his starring roles in the film The Cider House Rules (1999), Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), and the comedy films Clueless (1995), Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Role Models (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Dinner for Schmucks (2010), Our Idiot Brother (2011), Wanderlust (2012), This Is 40 (2012), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), and for playing the superhero Ant-Man in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man (2015) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). 　　In addition to his film career, Rudd has appeared in numerous television shows, including the NBC sitcom Friends as Mike Hannigan, along with guest roles on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Parks and Recreation (as businessman Bobby Newport), and hosting Saturday Night Live. Rudd received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 1, 2015. 　　Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey. His father, Michael Rudd, was a historical tour guide and former vice-president of Trans World Airlines who died of cancer. His mother, Gloria Irene (Granville), was a sales manager at the television station KCMO-TV in Kansas City, Missouri. His parents were born in England; his father was from Edgware and his mother from Surbiton, both in London.Rudd's parents were both Jewish (descended from Jewish immigrants who moved to Britain from Russia, Belarus, and Poland). Rudd's parents were second cousins.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".Rudd had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Growing up, he loved reading British comics, The Beano and The Dandy, which his uncle in the U.K. would send to him.