- Al Ruddy, (94) is the producer of The Godfather(1972), which is now regarded as a classical gangster movie, yet he was not part of the production of other Godfather installments
- The Canadian-born’s leaving the production is linked to being fired as a result of his involvement with the mafia despite other reasons given in his tell-it 2022 movie, The Offer
- He went on to produce other movies as well as get married to and have two children
Al Ruddy is an iconic Hollywood producer renowned for Wild Seed(1965), Hogan’s Heroes(1965-71), The Godfather(1972), The Macahans(1976), and The Offer(2022). Aside from being a critically acclaimed movie that earned him an Oscar for best picture, he did not return to produce other installments of The Godfather after he was fired.
Even though he has done other successful works like his retelling of the event behind the Godfather in The Offer, the award-winning producer’s leaving is still an issue 50 years after the release of the classical movie.
Who is Al Ruddy?
He is a Canadian producer born Albert S. Ruddy on March 28, 1930, in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Ruddy grew up in New York after his mother moved there. Moving on, he attended and completed college with a degree in Chemical engineering. Nonetheless, he also earned an architectural degree which pushed him to work in the construction industry.
Despite this, his career line changed after meeting Jack Warner who offered him an executive position at Warner bro. This would mark a new beginning for him in the entertainment industry.
A Look Into The Career of Al Ruddy In Entertainment
Over the years, Ruddy produced many successful works that would make him a sought-after producer. While he had done works like Wild Seed(1965), Hogan’s Heroes(1965-71), and The Macahans(1976), his production of The Godfather added to his success streak as well as changed how gangster movies were seen.
The 1972 movie which is an adaption of Mario Puzo’s book of the same title is regarded as a classic as it has remained relevant 50 years later. The storyline delved into the activities of an Italian crime family in America portrayed by an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacini, and James Caan. The movie garnered an Oscar for Best Picture for Ruddy.
Despite the movie’s success, the events surrounding the production of the movie have also generated many controversies one of which is a clash between the movie makers and the crime mob on the east coast.
The Truth About Why The 94-year-old Producer Left The Godfather II
Having successfully produced The Godfather in 1972, he noticeably did not do The Godfather II in 1974. While there are snippets about why he left, only a few such reasons stand out.
Giving a close look at The Offer(2022) which is based on Ruddy’s account of the making of The Godfather, the producer, and director, Francis Ford Coppola were not on speaking terms at the time of shooting the first movie.
While this view was given by Bart, another reason for his leaving the production of the second part may be due to contract issues. Prior to the release of the movie, the ‘real mafia’ had stood against the making of such a movie which it perceived as working against the Italian-American community.
As it goes, iconic singer, Frank Sinatra and one of the mafia bosses, Joe Columbo were at the forefront. Sinatra even threatened to beat up Mario Puzo, the writer of the book while Columbo formed the Italian-American Civil Rights League in 1970 to fight against making the film.
Moving forward, Ruddy stepped in as a broker between the movie makers and the mafia to allow for smooth production. As part of his agreement with the mafia, he promised that Paramount will donate proceeds to the league as well as remove the word mafia from the script.
He later formed a friendship with Columbo and this led to his firing by Charles Bludhorn, the CEO of the parent company in charge of the movie production per The Offer. However, the real-life firing was countered by Coppola, the director who insisted that Ruddy is the producer fit for the movie.
Whatever the case, his association with The Godfather trilogy was severed after the first movie. Noticeably, it was Coppola that directed and produced The Godfather III(1990).
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Where is Al Ruddy Now?
The veteran actor is alive and taking other roles. As earlier mentioned, Ruddy’s work The Offer released in April 2022 is timely as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. Aside from this, it shows the stellar performance of the producer which has remained top-notch over the years. The tell-it drama series takes both the onscreen and offscreen characters that gave life to the first movie life as it reveals the details the cameras did not show the first time.
Moving forward, Ruddy, the $50 million worth producer is living with his wife, Wanda McDaniel, a fashion executive at Giorgio Armani whom he married in 1981 and together they share two children, John Ruddy and Alexandra Ruddy.
