Montreal actor wounded in Mumbai attacks returns home
58-year-old played dead amid hail of gunfire in hotel restaurant
Last Updated: Thursday, December 18, 2008 | 1:19 AM ET
CBC News
Montreal actor Michael Rudder, who was shot in last month's attacks in Mumbai, returned home late Wednesday after spending several weeks in an Indian hospital, saying he received a "great gift" from his experience.
Michael Rudder, seen here recovering in a Mumbai hospital in late November, was shot three times in the Nov. 26 attacks in India's financial capital. (CBC) Rudder was greeted by a cheering crowd of friends, fellow actors and supporters as he arrived at Montreal's Pierre Trudeau International Airport after travelling with the assistance of a nurse.
Speaking to reporters from a wheelchair, he said he owed a debt of gratitude for the "enormous outpouring of love" he received from people all over the world after the attacks.
"I'm going to get a sign that says 'World's luckiest guy,'" a beaming Rudder said.
He also offered a prayer for the people of India still reeling from the deadly series of attacks that rocked the country's financial capital and left more than 170 people dead.
"I hope they're protected," he said.
The 58-year-old actor was to be taken from the airport directly to a Montreal hospital, where he will continue to receive treatment for his injuries.
His agent, Mollye Reisler, said earlier the acting community is rallying around Rudder and will make sure he is taken care of.
"Michael is loved by so many people," Reisler said.
Actor played dead to survive attacks
Rudder, in Mumbai as part of a U.S.-based meditation group, was in the restaurant of the Oberoi Hotel on the night of Nov. 26 when militants stormed inside and began firing.
Shot in the stomach, arm and leg, to save his life, he played dead on the floor in a pool of blood next to the bodies of two American friends.
"My intention, once the bullets started flying, was to pretend, as I've learned from so many Second World War movies, that I was dead," Rudder told the CBC's Terry Milewski last month while recovering from surgery at a Mumbai hospital.
After the gunmen's grenades filled the restaurant with smoke, Rudder got up and fled the hotel, following a trail of blood left by other fleeing victims. He staggered out through a kitchen door onto the street, where he grabbed a taxi to the hospital.
Rudder has played roles in cartoons, commercials and video games, including top sellers Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3. He has also performed in the animated PBS series Postcards From Buster.
During his career, he has also worked in theatre, television and film, receiving a 1989 Genie Award nomination for best supporting actor for the film Buying Time, about young thieves ordered to perform community service in a seniors residence.
