He moved to Broadway to appear in "Help Wanted" in 1914. His first screen role came in the silent "Peer Gynt" the following year. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Ruggles continued to appear in silent movies, though his passion remained the stage, appearing in long-running productions such as "The Passing Show of 1918", "The Demi-Virgin" and "Battling Butler". One of his most famous stage hits was "Queen High", one of his last before a nearly 30-year hiatus, produced in 1926. He also played Peter Braley in "Spring Is Here", which ran for 104 performances in 1929.