Tag: The Godfather

Oscar-Winner, Actress Diane Keaton Dead At 79

October 13, 2025 ·

Actress Diane Keaton. Photo courtesy of Tinseltown.

BRENTWOOD—Actress and Oscar-winner, Diane Keaton, known for her roles in “Annie Hall” and “The Godfather” died on Saturday, October 11, PEOPLE first reported. The actress was 79.

TMZ reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department were called to Keaton’s Brentwood property shortly after 8 a.m. and she was taken via ambulance to a local hospital. No additional details or cause of death has been disclosed to the public.

Keaton grew to fame as a notable producer, actress and director in Hollywood. Keaton was born in Los Angeles, CA in January 1946. She got her start on Broadway in 1968 in “Hair.” That role later parlayed Keaton to a role in “Play It Again, Sam,” a production by director Woody Allen that earned the actress a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Her breakout film role was in 1972’s “The Godfather” which she starred alongside Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Talia Shire and James Caan. The drama went on to earn 10 Oscar nominations, winning 3 awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. Keaton reprised her role in the 1974 sequel, “The Godfather Part II.”

In 1977, Keaton starred in the Woody Allen comedy, “Annie Hall” where she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films Keaton starred in included, “Reds,” “Marvin’s Room,”  “Crimes of the Heart,” “Father of the Bride,” “Father of the Bride Part II,” “The First Wives Club,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Family Stone,” “Morning Glory,” “Book Club” and “Book Club: The Next Chapter.”

Some of her co-stars throughout her illustrious career include Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Goldie Hawn, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Frances McDormand, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. Keaton during her lifetime dated actor/director Woody Allen, Al Pacino and Warren Beatty. The actress never married, but adopted two children, Dexter, 29 and Duke 25 in her 50s.

Keaton was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in “Marvin’s Room,” “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Reds.” She won two Golden Globes during her career, one for “Annie Hall” and another for “Something’s Gotta Give.” She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995.

Keaton’s “The First Wives Club” co-star Bette Midler posted on Instagram:

“The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”

Actor Steve Martin responded to a post from Interview Magazine on Instagram writing:

“Don’t know who first posted this, but it sums up our delightful relationship with Diane.”

Director Paul Feig posted on X, “I was so honored to call Diane Keaton a friend. She was an amazingly kind and creative person who also just happened to be a Hollywood legend. She has been taken from us far too soon. We will miss you, Diane.”

 

By Danny Jones

“The Godfather” Producer Albert S. Ruddy Dead At 94

May 29, 2024 ·

Film producer Albert S. Ruddy (left) with actor James Caan. Photo by s_bukley/Shutterstock.

WESTWOOD—It was announced on Tuesday, May 28, that the producer of the Oscar-winning films “The Godfather” and “Million Dollar Baby,” Albert S. Ruddy died at the age of 94. Ruddy died on May 25 after a short stay at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for a brief illness Ruddy’s family disclosed via a publicist. An official cause of death for the producer has not been disclosed to the public.

Albert was born in Montreal, Canada in 1930. He later moved to New York City and Miami Beach, Florida with his mother. He graduated from University of Southern California (USC) in 1956 with a degree in architectural design. He produced the movie “Wild Seed” in 1965 alongside Marlon Brando Sr., the father of actor Marlon Brando.

He co-created the CBS TV series “Hogan’s Heroes” in 1965. The show ran until 1971. Ruddy grew to fame in the film industry with the 1972 classic, “The Godfather,” which he produced from the novel by Mario Puzo. The movie starred Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan and Talia Shire. The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and walked away with three (Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture). The Best Picture win was Ruddy’s first Oscar victory during his career.

He produced the 1974 sports-comedy, “The Longest Yard” starring Burt Reynolds, which earned $43 million at the box-office. Ruddy earned his second Oscar for the 2004 film “Million Dollar Baby” starring Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank. The movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture for Eastwood, Ruddy and Tom Rosenberg.

The last film that Ruddy produced was the 2021 drama “Cry Macho” that starred and was directed by Clint Eastwood. His last TV credit was as a producer for the series “The Offer” that chronicled the making of the 1972 film “The Godfather” and it starred actor Miles Teller who recently starred in the movie “Top Gun: Maverick” alongside Tom Cruise. Ruddy was married twice during his life, once to Françoise Ruddy and later to Wanda MacDaniel. Ruddy leaves behind his wife MacDaniel, whom he shares two children with.

By Trevor