Veteran actor best known for starring in Harold and Maude dies aged 77 after battling ‘long illness’
BUD Cort, best known for his role in the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude, has died aged 77.
Writer and producer Dorian Hannaway, a close friend, said he died after “a long illness”.
A veteran of stage and screen, Cort appeared in more than 80 films and TV series across a career spanning five decades.
He became indelibly linked with his performance in Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby’s offbeat romance about a young man obsessed with death who falls in love with a free-spirited 79-year-old Holocaust survivor, played by Ruth Gordon.
Released in 1971, the film was initially a commercial and critical flop.
It later found a devoted following in repertory cinemas during the 1970s, cementing its status as a cult classic thanks to its dark humour and unlikely love story.
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“A young man obsessed with death falls in love with an old woman obsessed with life. She dies and teaches the kid how to live,” Cameron Crowe described it for AFI in 2011.
“And it’s done with music [by Cat Stevens] that scratches at your soul… that movie holds up – to this minute.”
Director Edgar Wright paid tribute to Cort’s work, calling him a “welcome and magnetic presence in every film lucky enough to have him”.
On his performance in Harold and Maude, Wright said: “Not only is this beloved film a pitch perfect black comedy-cum-love story for the ages, but Bud Cort delivers one of the greatest looks to camera in film.”
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The role earned Cort nominations for a Golden Globe and a Bafta.
Born Walter Edward Cox in Rye, New York, in 1948, he later changed his name to avoid confusion with character actor Wally Cox.
He went to school in New Rochelle and developed an early passion for performance, appearing in school productions and frequently travelling into Manhattan to see Broadway shows.
Hannaway remembered him as a “passionate theatregoer” who would sneak off to Manhattan to see Broadway shows and wait at the backstage door hoping to catch a glimpse of Barbara Streisand after watching Funny Girl.
Roslyn Kind recalled meeting him as a teenager. “I was only fourteen when I met Bud at the backstage door at my sister’s play,” she said in a statement.
“He was majoring in art at the time in high school. We became close friends who shared our interest in entertainment.
“When I got married, Bud and our songwriter friend, Bruce Roberts, wrote a special song that was performed at the ceremony. His unique spirit will always be with me.”
Cort moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s to pursue film work.
He had a small role in MASH before being cast by Robert Altman in the title role of Brewster McCloud.
His co-star Sally Kellerman later recalled: “We were in the line for lunch when I spotted him.
“Although I didn’t know who he was, I said ‘Oh, boy. We’re going to be best friends.’”
He continued to work steadily, with supporting roles in films including Heat, Dogma, Coyote Ugly and Pollock, as well as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
On television, he appeared in series such as Arrested Development, Ugly Betty and Criminal Minds.
He also voiced Toyman in animated series including Superman: The Animated Series.
In 1979, Cort narrowly survived a devastating car accident that required multiple surgeries and affected his career.
He is survived by his brother Joseph Cox and sister-in-law Vickie, along with their daughters Meave, Brytnn, and Jesse.
He also leaves behind his sisters Kerry Cox, Tracy Cox Berkman, and Shelly Cox Dufour, and his many nieces and nephews.
A memorial will be held at a future date in Los Angeles.