Ruge was diminutive of stature, wiry and acrobatic, having had previous experience as a circus clown. In silent comedy, he was a minor star of one-reel comedies (he was 'Runt', Oliver Hardy was 'Plump'), produced by the New York-based company Vim at facilities leased from the Florida Yacht Club between 1915 and 1916. Ruge later partnered Kate Price in a series of 'Sparkle Comedies' for the Jaxon Film Corporation. By the early 1920's, his popularity had begun to decline and he eventually disappeared from the screen.