'The Godfather' Movie Legend Dies 'Peacefully' in LA: Albert S. Ruddy Was 94

Albert S. Ruddy, the Canadian-born producer and writer who became one of only nine producers ever to earn two or more Best Picture Oscars when he took home Academy Awards for The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby , has died. Ruddy passed away "peacefully" at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center on Saturday, May 25 after a brief illness, according to a spokesperson, who added that among his final words were, "The game is over, but we won the game." Ruddy was 94.

Born on March 28, 1930, in Montreal and raised in New York City, per Deadline , Ruddy attended Brooklyn Technical High School before enrolling at the City College of New York and later transferring to the University of Southern California, where he studied architecture. After graduating, Ruddy would eventually go on to start his Hollywood career, which spanned nearly 60-years and saw him produce more than 40 projects.

After producing his first picture, Wild Seed , Ruddy went on to produce what would become one of his career highlights: the 1972 classic The Godfather . Ruddy was the sole producer of the film, which earned him the Oscar for Best Picture at the 45th Academy Awards. Some 32 years later, he took home another Academy Award for producing 2004's Million Dollar Baby , starring Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank. Ruddy has the distinction of being one of nine producers to ever win two or more Academy Awards for Best Picture and holds the largest interval between winning Best Picture at 32 years between awards.

Ruddy is also well-remembered as the co-creator of two iconic CBS titles. He co-created the famed CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes , which starred Bob Crane and set in a German POW camp. The series debuted in September 1965 and aired for six seasons. Ruddy is also credited as one of the co-creators of the CBS police drama Walker, Texas Ranger , which starred Chuck Norris and aired from 1993 through 2001.

His other credits include the 1974 Burt Reynolds-starring film The Longest Yard , the action road films The Cannonball Run (1981) and its 1984 sequel, Bad Girls (1994), the baseball comedy The Scout (1994), and more. His final big-screen producing credit was Eastwood's 2021 western drama Cry Macho . His life also recently got the small screen treatment in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer , which starred Miles Teller as Ruddy and chronicled his experience making The Godfather.

Ruddy is survived by his wife Wanda McDaniel, children John and Alexandra, and his son-in-law, screenwriter Abdullah Saeed.