Albert Ruddy
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Albert S. Ruddy (born March 28, 1930) is a Canada-born filmmaker.
Born in Montreal, although raised in New York City, Ruddy attended Brooklyn Tech before earning a scholarship to allow him to study chemical engineering at City College of New York. Although he graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of California, he worked in the construction industry on the east coast.
After a short stint at Warner Brothers, brought about by a chance meeting with Jack Warner, Ruddy moved on to become a programmer trainee at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, California. Returning to entertainment, Ruddy was a television writer at Universal Studios, but left when Marlon Brando Sr., father of the legendary actor, hired him to produce Wild Seed in 1965.
With this one film completed, Ruddy created Hogan's Heroes (CBS, 1965-1971), and when the show's five year run was over, Ruddy produced his second film, Making It (1970), about a sexually triumphant high school student who beds the gerontophobic wife of his gym teacher. In 1972 he produced The Godfather and won his first of two Oscars for Best Picture. In 1974, Ruddy produced The Longest Yard, which was also successful.
The following year, Ruddy helped director/animator Ralph Bakshi make an adult-oriented parody of the Uncle Remus storybooks. Although applauded by critics, the controversial 1975 film Coonskin, was protested by racial groups and the original distributor, Paramount Pictures, withdrew their distribution of the film.
Ruddy went on to produce a long string of movies that, in most cases, failed to either make money or please critics, or in some cases both. Though successful at the box office, The Cannonball Run (1981) was considered to be a poor movie that was bogged down by pointless cameos and listless performances from its two main stars. Following two dismal action flicks, Death Hunt (1981) and Megaforce (1982), Ruddy returned to produce Cannonball Run II (1984), which was neither commercially nor artistically successful.
[edit] Awards
- Won: 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture Million Dollar Baby
- Won: 1973 Academy Award for Best Picture The Godfather
- Nomination: 1985 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Cannonball Run 2
- Nomination: 1985 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay Cannonball Run 2 (with Hal Needham, Harvey Miller)
- Nomination: 1983 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Megaforce
[edit] See also
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