‘Ant-Man’ Star Paul Rudd Would’ve Had a Different Last Name if His Grandfather Hadn’t Changed It to Escape Anti-Semitism
Paul Rudd is easily one of the most likable celebrities in Hollywood. When he first broke onto the scene in the 1995 teen dramedy, Clueless, fans found him witty and charming. He’s had a lengthy career as a funny man, nabbing the role of Mike, Phoebe’s husband on Friends, and portraying unforgettable characters in Anchorman, This Is 40, and I Love You, Man.
He became a bona fide movie star when he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ant-Man in 2015. While Rudd’s known for his youthful appearance and funny guy persona, not many people know about his heritage and how his family descended from Ashkenazi Jews.
Paul Rudd’s early life led to his love for all things Kansas City
Rudd was born in New Jersey to English-born Jewish parents. The PBS genealogy show, Finding Your Roots surprised the funny man with the information that his parents are second cousins.
The Rudds moved to Kansas City when Paul was 10 because of his father’s job. He worked as a sales manager for Trans World Airlines (TWA). His mother was a sales manager at a television station.
Rudd attended the University of Kansas and is still a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City barbecue. Maybe his time in the heartland is the reason he’s so relatable and likable.
Paul Rudd’s Jewish heritage
Rudd is an Ashkenazi Jew, which is a group of Jewish people whose ancestors lived in Central and Eastern Europe. According to NJ.com, Rudd experienced antisemitism growing up in Kansas City. He said kids would call him “Jewboy.”
To diffuse the situation, he’d crack jokes. Nevertheless, his heritage was always important to him. “I certainly feel as if being Jewish is in the marrow of my bones.”
Rudd’s grandfather, a veteran stationed in Sicily during WWII, experienced so much antisemitism that he decided to change the family name. Instead of Davis Rudnitsky, he became David Rudd. He worked as a butcher in London. But after the war ended, he found the city teeming with unsavory attitudes toward Jews. He packed up and set for New York.
In an interview with Men’s Health, Rudd talks about his grandfather and uncles, saying they were wrestlers: “He and my uncles would travel around and wrestle. My grandfather would tour all over London as ‘The Strongest Man in England.'”
Other celebrities and their (sometimes uncomfortable) connections to Jewish history
Host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. says that Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry is difficult to trace but that the majority of Jewish people share DNA with other Jews.
This became prevalent during the show’s episodes when the host informed Larry David, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, that he’s distantly related to Bernie Sanders. Ironically, David portrayed Sanders on Saturday Night Live during the 2016 presidential election. David would go on to discover that his ancestors fought for the Confederacy, a fact that stunned the funny man.
The show also found that comedian and political commentator Bill Maher is related to political television host Bill O’Reilly. And Christopher Walken found out that one of his uncles was part of a German battalion that rounded up Jews for death camps. That same battalion was also known to execute Jews.
Under the impression she was part Danish, Scarlett Johansson found out that wasn’t so. Instead, she’s of Swedish descent. She learns that her cousins died in the Warsaw ghetto when they were only teenagers, moving her to tears.
The show often surprises many of its guests and can lead to uncomfortable moments. Still, Gates is quick to point out, “You’re not responsible for what your ancestors did. Guilt is not heritable.”
