Paul Rudnick was born in 1957 in Piscataway, New Jersey. He grew up in an unremarkable suburban milieu with both practical and artistic influences. His father was a physicist and his mother was involved with the Partisan Review and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Early on, he knew what he wanted to do with his life, writing in a grammar school essay that he wanted to be a playwright.

After graduation from high school, Rudnick studied drama at Yale University. After graduation he moved to New York City. He supported himself with miscellaneous jobs, including writing book jacket copy for novels and painting sets for the Julliard School of Drama. His first play, Poor Little Lambs, was produced in 1982; the off-Broadway production drew mixed critical responses, though the solid cast included several actors, such as Bronson Pinchot and Kevin Bacon, who went on to gain fame on TV and...