Happy Birthday, Paul Rudd! Remember His Very ’90s TV Debut onSisters?
Years before he became the smart-aleck star of Judd Apatow movies (and later, a Marvel superhero),Paul Rudd lived through the ’90s, just like the rest of us.
The actor turns 48 on Thursday — although if you’ve seen him lately, it’s clear he does not age — and we thought we’d celebrate by looking back on his on-screen debut: on the 1991-96 NBC dramaSisters. The primetime soap, starring Swoosie Kurtz and Sela Ward, revolved around four adult sisters and their complicated romantic and family lives. And in Season 3, a youngPaul Rudd joined the show to give it a bit of Generation X flavor.
Rudd played Kirby Philby, an aspiring filmmaker who dated, and quickly eloped with, Alex’s daughter Reed, played by Ashley Judd. Kirby and Reed had a baby girl together, and Kirby decided he had to grow up and give up his filmmaking dreams, so he moved to Minnesota to manage a video store. (Because those will never go out of business, right?) That led to an ugly divorce and custody battle between Kirby and Reed, with Kirby ultimately winning custody of their daughter.
Here’s a cast shot, with Rudd as Kirby in the upper-left:
Sisters was Rudd’s first-ever film and TV gig, appearing in 20 episodes across three seasons. But he left the show to film his breakout role in 1995’sClueless — and the rest is Hollywood history. Still, we can always look back… and make fun of his very ’90s vest.
That’s a cast reunion I’d love to see.
Wow, never heard of this show!
I’m binging it on DVD and only up to Season 4. I didn’t know Kirby and Reed divorce! Spoilers for a 25 year old how!
I have never heard of this show either. And seriously he doesn’t age. Why can’t I get that lucky?
I loved that show but I honestly don’t remember him on it. That was good TV was heartbroken when it was cancelled.
I’ve never heard of this show either!
I totally remembered this. Rudd and Judd.
I remember watching this and loving it on Saturday nights after all the sitcoms . Strange how scheduling changes through the years. Saturday used to be a great night for TV.
Paul Rudd also once guest starred on an episode of the TV show version of Clueless, only he didn’t play Josh, but rather a character named Sonny.
Paul Rudd makes me so angry, because that man does not age. He looks like he’s aged a few years max in the last 25+ years. I don’t get it. Can I please get some of those genes (plus whatever the hell he also does)???
I guess I’m showing my age but I LOVED this show! Rudd is truly one of the good ones, he and his fellow Kansas Citians, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet, Rob Riggle and Dave Koechner come home every summer with some of their famous friends and host several events over the course of a weekend that raise funds for the local children’s hospital. In the past 5 or so years, they’ve raised many millions of dollars.
