The Canadian-born movie mogul, who rose to prominence for helping to create hit sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, had famously not read Mario Puzo’s mafia novel when Paramount asked him to make the film.
It was his reputation for running tight budgets that got him the job. He soon found he was dealing with fire: real-life mobsters let him know he was being watched, and one night he heard gunfire outside his home and his car’s windows being shot out.
Ruddy saved himself, and the film, through diplomacy; he met crime boss Joseph Colombo and a couple of henchmen to discuss the script.
Ruddy agreed to remove a single, gratuitous mention of the word "mafia" and to make a donation to the Italian American Civil Rights League.
The Godfather won the best picture Oscar in 1973 and Ruddy received the award from presenter Clint Eastwood.
In 2004, Ruddy produced Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby. In 2022, on the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, Ruddy himself became a character. Miles Teller played him in The Offer, a Paramount+ miniseries about the making of the movie.
It was not all hits though: among the more than 30 films Ruddy produced were Cannonball Run II and Megaforce, nominees for Golden Raspberry awards for worst movie of the year.
Ruddy died on May 25, aged 94.
