Al Ruddy, Oscar-Winning Producer of The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, Dies at 94
Albert S. Ruddy passed away on May 25th after a brief illness.
Legendary producer Albert S. Ruddy, also known as Al Ruddy, died Saturday, May 25th at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center after a brief illness, according to a family spokesman. Some of the iconic pieces of work on Ruddy's resume include The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, both of which earned him the Best Picture Awards at The Oscars. Ruddy was 94 years old at the time of his death. Not only is he one of nine producers to earn two or more Best Picture Oscars, but he also won them 32 years apart.
Al Ruddy was the focus of the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer, where Miles Teller portrayed him. The Offer is based on Ruddy's never-before-seen experiences while making 1972's The Godfather. Along with Ruddy, The Offer also starred Matthew Goode as Robert Evans, Juno Temple as Bettye McCartt, Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Colombo, Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppola, Burn Gorman as Charles Bluhdorn, Colin Hanks as Barry Lapidus and Patrick Gallo as Mario Puzo.
"Al was truly one of the great Hollywood mavericks," The Offer director Dexter Fletcher said in a statement. "One of the last Mohicans who created great movies which still influence and inspire to this day. From humble beginnings to the highest of Hollywood accolades. His was an incredible journey. Achieved through the sheer power of his determination, strong will, irrepressible energy and charm and a rarely matched love for the art of film."
"It was an honor and a privilege to portray Al in The Offer. Al lived a life most could only dream of and all would envy," Miles Teller said in a statement.
When Al Ruddy won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 45th Academy Awards for producing The Godfather, Clint Eastwood was on stage to present him the trophy. Coincidentally, Eastwood and Ruddy would go on to win the Best Picture Oscars award for producing Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood also won Best Director, with Hilary Swank winning Best Actress and Morgan Freeman winning Best Supporting Actor.
"He was a great friend of mine and I will deeply miss him," Eastwood said in a statement. Hilary Swank added, "It was the best of times working with [Al]. He will always be a legend in my and everyone's book."
Said Al Pacino: "Al Ruddy was absolutely beautiful to me the whole time on The Godfather; even when they didn't want me, he wanted me. He gave me the gift of encouragement when I needed it most and I'll never forget it."
Photo credit via Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
