R.I.P. Al Ruddy: ‘The Godfather’ And ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Producer Dead At 94

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Critically acclaimed movie and television producer Albert “Al” S. Ruddy died in Los Angeles at the UCLA Medical Center on Saturday, May 25. He was 94.

According to Deadline, the news was shared in a statement from his family, in which they revealed that his passing followed a brief illness, and that “among his last words [were], ‘The game is over, but we won the game.”

Ruddy was born in Montreal on March 28, 1930, and raised in New York City, per Deadline. His first film production credit was earned on Wild Seed in 1965. That same year, he and co-creator Bernard Fein’s Hogan’s Heroes series first aired, and would go on to air 168 episodes across six seasons, per IMDb. He also co-created Walker, Texas Ranger, which aired from 1993 until 2001.

Two of Ruddy’s most notable production credits were earned on The Godfather (1972) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), each of which he brought home a Best Picture win for at the Oscars. Ruddy is among nine producers with two or more Best Picture Academy Award wins.

His work as the producer on Francis Ford Coppola‘s crime drama was eventually depicted in the Paramount+ series The Offer, in which Miles Teller inhabited the role of Ruddy. Teller deemed the opportunity to portray Ruddy “an honor and a privilege,” per Variety.

Al Ruddy and Hal Needham on the set of 'Megaforce' — Photo: Everett Collection

Other films that Ruddy produced include The Longest Yard (1974), The Cannonball Run (1981), Megaforce (1982), Lassiter (1984), Cannonball Run II (1984), Ladybugs (1992), The Longest Yard (2005), and Cry Macho (2021). Some of these films also occupy his writing credits.

In the wake of the tragic news, several notable names have mourned the loss of Ruddy, including Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, and Al Pacino, the last of whom released a statement in which he noted that Ruddy “was absolutely beautiful to [him] the whole time on ‘The Godfather,'” per CBS News.

“… even when they didn’t want me, he wanted me,” Pacino continued. “He gave me the gift of encouragement when I needed it most and I’ll never forget it.”

Ruddy is survived by his wife of 43 years, Wanda McDaniel, his two children John and Alexandra, and his son-in-law Abdullah Saeed, per TheWrap.