The ‘Outerbanks’ actor Rudy Pankow is the middle of three children of his parents, Andrew Pankow and Penny Pederson. Unlike his dad and mom, who have medical careers, Pankow went on the path of acting.
Even with diverse professional ventures of their own in his family, they have been supportive of each other’s career choices. Rudy has two brothers- his elder brother is pursuing a Ph.D. in the school of medicine while his younger brother is an electrical engineer.
So, to speak, the Alaska native actor comes from a well-established family. You probably want to get more about Pankow’s background, ethnicity, and parents. Here we are with answers to your queries about the actor’s family- stay with us.
Who Are Rudy Pankow’s Parents? What Do They Do?
Pankow is one of three sons, born to Alaska native parents, Andrew D. Pankow and Penny Pederson. Both still reside in their hometown of Ketchikan, Alaska.
The Uncharted actor’s father, Andrew, is a family physician at PeaceHealth Medical Group (June 2005- present).
According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously worked as a resident physician at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center for three years (1989-1992) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1985 with a bachelor’s in zoology/animal biology. Then, he enrolled at UW School of Medicine and Public Health and obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1989.
Rudy’s mother, Penny, formerly served as the foundation director of PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center. However, her current professional venture is not out.
Sources report that the actor’s dad and mom were college sweethearts; the latter is also a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduate.
The couple has an age gap of only one month. Pankow’s father, Andrew, was born in December 1962, while his mother, Penny, was born in January 1963.
| Father | Andrew D. Pankow |
| Mother | Penny Pederson |
| Siblings | Alec And Henning Pankow |
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Are Pankow’s Parents Divorced?
Some thin-air talks alleged that Rudy Pankow’s father and mother were not together anymore. However, it seems to be a hoax only. The rumor came since his mom uses her maiden name, “Pederson,” instead of her husband’s last name, “Pankow.”
But his dad, Andrew’s Facebook and LinkedIn profile feature a picture of him with his wife, Penny.
Rudy Has Two Brothers: Middle Of Three Children
‘The Crusades’ actor grew up with his two brothers, one elder brother, Alec Pankow, and a younger brother, Henning Pankow. All three Pankow brothers attended Ketchikan High School- they competed in field & track events and soccer.
The eldest brother, Alec, born in February 1994, is 30 years old as of 2024. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a Ph.D. student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Having graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2016 with a degree in biochemistry, he formerly worked as a research technician at the University of Washington (2017-20) and a bioinformatician at Karolinska Institute (2020-21) in Stockholm, Sweden.
Rudy’s elder brother, Alec, is married and lives in New York with his wife, Natalie Smith, who is from Alamos, New Mexico. According to TheKnot, the couple exchanged vows on August 26, 2023, in Ketchikan, Alaska.
As Smith’s Facebook post suggests, the two were in a relationship for a decade, i.e., since October 2014.
Pankow’s younger brother, Henning, is an electrical & computer engineer specializing in microcontroller programming and PCB design.
He graduated from Western Washington University in 2023 with a degree in Electrical Engineering (Computer Systems and Mathematics).
According to his LinkedIn, he is on a career break and lives in Bellingham, Washington. Formerly, he was an assistant project manager at Pacific Jewel Marine.
In addition to that, he has worked as a seasonal fisherman at FV Karen Jean (2016-17) and FV Emily Nicole (2017-18) and later as a full-time construction worker at JMVC (in 2020).
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Rudy Pankow’s Ethnicity And Nationality: Family Background
Born on August 12, 1998, in Ketchikan, Alaska, Pankow is an American by nationality and has mixed ethnicity. His father is of German descent, while he has Danish and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry from his maternal side.
According to EthicCelebs, Rudy’s paternal great-great-grandfather Albert Pankow’s parents were German and from Prussia, while his great-great-grandmother Marie Kretzschmar was a German immigrant.
On his maternal side, his great-great-grandfather Niels F. Pedersen was a Danish emigrant, and his great-great-grandmother Maren “Minnie” Jensen was born to Danish parents.
Here is the actor’s family tree:
As for his religion, the actor grew up in a household with Christian faith.
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed (Danish, German, and Ashkenazi Jewish) |
| Religion | Christian |
What Is Rudy Pankow’s Age And Height?
As of January 2024, Pankow is 25 years old and has a height of 6 feet (1.83 m). The actor has light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.
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How Did He Become An Actor?
After graduating from Ketchikan High School, Rudy thought of taking culinary school with no intention of attending college. Even if he was accepted at culinary school, his brief stay in Los Angeles with his family friends changed his mind and inclined him into acting.
So, he moved to LA and enrolled at an acting school. As reported, he had developed an interest in acting and production during middle school but didn’t give it a professional route until then.
After training at Michael Woolson Studios, Pankow worked in theater productions like The Nutcracker, Mary Poppins, and Oliver Twist.
Rudy’s on-screen acting debut came in 2017- he appeared in short films Sunny Family Cult, Nobody Knows, 11:47, and Do Good Things.
Fast forward to 2020, having worked in several short films and guest TV appearances, he got a career breakthrough as JJ Maybank in the Netflix series Outer Banks, starring Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, and Madison Bailey.
Then, it followed his appearance in the movie Uncharted (2022) alongside Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. In 2023, Pankow worked in the films Chocolate Lizards and The Crusades.
In 2024, he is set to appear as Jimmy in the film 5lbs of Pressure.
[Interesting Fact: Rudy initially auditioned for the role of John B in Outer Banks and thought he got the role, but it went to Chase Stokes. Instead, he got lines read for Rafe and JJ, so he chose to fight for the role of JJ.]
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