Albert S. Ruddy

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Albert S. Ruddy
Born Albert Stotland Ruddy
(1930-03-28)March 28, 1930
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of Southern California
Occupation Film producer
Years active 1965–2021
Spouse(s) Françoise Ruddy (divorced)
Wanda McDaniel (m. 1981)
Children 2

Albert Stotland Ruddy (March 28, 1930 – May 25, 2024) was a Canadian-American film and television producer.[1] He produced The Godfather (1972) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), both of which won him the Academy Award for Best Picture, and co-created the CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971).

Early life

Albert S. Ruddy was born to Ruth (née Ruddy) Hertz and Hy Stotland,[2][3] a Jewish family[4] in Montreal, and raised in New York City and in Miami Beach, Florida, by his mother.[5] Ruddy attended Brooklyn Technical High School before earning a scholarship to allow him to study chemical engineering at City College of New York. In 1956, he graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a degree in architectural design.[6][3]

Career

While he was at USC, he accompanied his then-girlfriend, who was employed on one of Roger Corman‘s first movies, to Palm Springs and wound up becoming the art director for The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955).[7] Ruddy also designed a monster for the film for $50.[7] Ruddy worked designing homes for a construction company, in Hackensack, New Jersey.[8] This eventually led to him meeting Warner Brothers studio chief Jack L. Warner, who offered him a job in Los Angeles after being impressed by Ruddy's knowledge and enthusiasm.[7][8]

After a short stint at Warner Brothers, Ruddy moved on to become a programmer trainee at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. Returning to entertainment, Ruddy became a television writer at Universal Studios, but left when Marlon Brando Sr., father of the actor, hired him to produce Wild Seed (1965), which was produced by Brando Jr.'s Pennebaker Productions.[7][8]

With this film completed, Ruddy co-created Hogan's Heroes (CBS, 1965–1971),[9] which was a critical and commercial success and ran for six seasons. As the sitcom wound down its run, Ruddy returned to films, producing two comedies: Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970), about two motorcycle racers, and Making It (1971), about a sexually triumphant high school student who beds the gerontophobic wife of his gym teacher.[10]

In 1972, he produced The Godfather, an adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel. During the development of The Godfather, Ruddy held secret meetings with Joseph Colombo, Colombo's son and even 1,500 delegates of the Italian-American Civil Rights League which led to him gaining trust that the film would not stereotype or defame Italians.[8] His numerous meetings with Anthony Colombo proved very productive in gaining trust from the League and the Colombo Family.[8] The film was a massive success both commercially and critically, and is regarded as one of the best films ever made, as well as a landmark of the gangster genre.[11] The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won three – including Ruddy's first of two Oscars for Best Picture.

In 1974, Ruddy produced an adaptation of his own story treatment as The Longest Yard.[10] The film, which has been described as "the first successful modern sports movie",[12] was very successful financially and was subsequently remade twice with Ruddy as executive producer (as Mean Machine (2001) and as The Longest Yard (2005)).

The following year, Ruddy produced director and animator Ralph Bakshi's satirical film Coonskin (1975).[10] The film was extremely controversial and initially received negative reviews, but it would eventually earn critical acclaim. It is one of director Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies.[13]

In 1976, he produced a western made-for-TV movie called The Macahans, which was subsequently developed into the series How the West Was Won (1977–1979).[10]

For some time, Ruddy worked with writer-philosopher Ayn Rand to produce her 1957 epic novel Atlas Shrugged as a movie, the rights to which he purchased in the mid-1970s, but the movie never moved beyond the planning stages. Rand demanded unprecedented final script approval, which Ruddy agreed to. However, her friends pointed out that Ruddy could shoot the approved script but still leave all her speeches on the cutting room floor. Rand asked for final editing approval, which neither Ruddy nor the director had the power to give her, so she responded by withdrawing her support from the film and vowing to ensure that Ruddy was never involved in any adaptation of her novel.[1]

Ruddy then started to work with Hong Kong's Golden Harvest, producing The Cannonball Run (1981), a hugely successful film at the box office that received mixed reviews by critics. Ruddy next produced two action films, Death Hunt (1981) starring Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, and Megaforce (1982). Ruddy returned to produce Cannonball Run II (1984), which was another commercial success for the Rat-Pack-prominent cast, and featured a guest appearance by Frank Sinatra.[10][14] The film also features a rare on-screen cameo by Ruddy in a scene spoofing his film The Godfather, and including Godfather supporting actors Alex Rocco and Abe Vigoda.

In 1985, after leaving Golden Harvest, Ruddy and Andre Morgan set up the Ruddy Morgan Organization which produced films budgeted for the $8.5-16 million range, and arranged the financing and developing of "high-visibility" pictures the company placed up.[15][16] Among their productions was the 1990 release Impulse, directed by Sondra Locke.

In the early 1990s, he helped create the successful series Walker, Texas Ranger.[10] Also in 1992, he licensed the rights from Kevin McClory to make a James Bond television show, but Eon Productions blocked it, and winning the suit, ended any hopes of a television show.[17]

In 2004, he produced Million Dollar Baby,[18] which earned him his second Oscar for Best Picture. He shared the award with Clint Eastwood, who had presented Ruddy with the Best Picture Oscar for The Godfather over 30 years earlier.

In late 2015, it was announced that he had acquired the rights to Rand's Atlas Shrugged and would be making a movie for worldwide release.[19]

In 2021, his daughter Alexandra Ruddy became co-principal at Albert S. Ruddy Productions.[20]

Personal life

Ruddy was married to and divorced from Francoise Ruddy,[21] who was also Jewish.[22][23] This was prior to her name change to Ma Prem Hasya as part of the Rajneeshpuram Commune in Central Oregon. Francoise saw him through the production of The Godfather, even lending her name to the production company title.

Ruddy later married Wanda McDaniel, the mother of his two children, and an executive vice president for the Italian designer Giorgio Armani, where she is credited with helping to make Armani successful.[24]

Ruddy was the subject of a 2013 documentary, Tough Ain't Enough: Conversations with Albert S. Ruddy.[25]

In the 2022 biographical drama miniseries The Offer, which dramatizes the making of The Godfather and is executive produced by Ruddy, he is played by Miles Teller.[26][10]

Ruddy died after a brief illness at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, on May 25, 2024, at the age of 94.[27]

Filmography

Film

Year Film Writer Producer Ref.
1965 Wild Seed No Yes [10]
1970 Little Fauss and Big Halsy No Yes [10]
1971 Making It No Yes [10]
1972 The Godfather No Yes [10]
1974 The Longest Yard Story Yes [10]
1975 Coonskin No Yes [10]
1978 Matilda Yes Yes [10]
1981 Death Hunt No Executive [10]
The Cannonball Run No Yes
[28]
1982 Megaforce Yes Yes [10]
1984 Lassiter No Yes [10]
Cannonball Run II Yes Yes [10]
1989 Farewell to the King No Yes [27]
Speed Zone No Executive [27]
1990 Impulse No Yes [27]
1992 Ladybugs No Yes [10]
1994 Bad Girls Story Yes [10]
The Scout No Yes [10]
1996 Heaven's Prisoners No Yes [10]
2001 Mean Machine No Executive [10]
2004 Million Dollar Baby No Yes [10]
2005 The Longest Yard Story Executive [27]
2006 Cloud 9 Yes Yes [10]
2008 Camille No Yes [10]
2014 Sabotage No Executive [10]
2019 A Gunman's Curse No Yes
2021 Cry Macho No Yes [10]

Other Roles

Year Title Role
1955 The Beast with a Million Eyes Art Director
1965 Wild Seed Lyrics: "That's Why"
2011 Blur Special thanks

Television

Year Title Creator Writer Producer Notes Ref
1963 The Lloyd Bridges Show No Yes No TV Series
Wrote episode: "The Skippy Mannox Story"
1965−
1971		 Hogan's Heroes Yes Yes No TV series
Wrote episode "The Informer"
1971 Thunderguys No No Yes Television film
1976 How the West Was Won Developer No Yes TV Series
29 episodes; produced the pilot		 [10]
Revenge for a Rape No Story No Television film
1981 Stockers No No Yes
1993 Walker, Texas Ranger Yes No Executive TV Series
executive produced 3 episodes		 [10]
2005 Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire Yes No No Television film
TBA The Bellinis Yes Yes Executive Television pilot

Executive producer only

Year Title Notes Ref
1991 Miracle in the Wilderness Television film
1997 Married to a Stranger
1998 Martial Law TV Series
2 episodes		 [10]
2000 Running Mates Television film
2002 Georgetown [27]
Flatland TV Series
executive produced 1 episode
2022 The Offer TV miniseries
10 episodes; based on his experience of making 'The Godfather'

Other Roles

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Running Mates Actor: Fatcat Television film
2012 Hatfields & McCoys Special thanks TV Mini-series

Awards

References

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  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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