Bud Cort has died. Best known as the star of 1971 dark comedy Harold & Maude—where he played the young, death-obsessed Harold to Ruth Gordon’s elderly but vivacious Maude—Cort had a long career as a character and voice actor that stretched well into the 2010s. Per Variety, Cort died on Wednesday, after a long illness. He was 77.
Born (as Walter Edward Cox) in New York in the late ’40s, Cort’s first professional passion was stand-up comedy, performing in New York City clubs when he was still just a teenager. It was there that he caught the eye of director Robert Altman, who would cast the young Cort in two of his films in the early ’70s: A small part in his 1970 smash hit M*A*S*H, and the title role in his far-less-successful follow-up, Brewster McCloud. The next year, Cort auditioned for director Hal Ashby for the co-starring role of Harold And Maude, a film that would come to define both his career, and his public persona, for decades to come.
As the theatrically suicidal Harold, Cort made the most of his boyish looks and gift for dark comedy, playing the dour but charismatic foil to Gordon’s Maude, learning to embrace life through her example. Although savaged by critics and ignored by audiences at the time of its release, the film would go on to develop a cult following in the years to come; Cort, specifically, would become the template for many a young man attempting to find some spark of life in a miserable world—many of whom would eventually become filmmakers in their own rights.
In the meantime, though, Cort struggled with feelings of being typecast, foregoing film work for several years, instead acting on the stage. Then, in 1979, a car accident altered the course of his career and life: The damage to his face changed his looks considerably, while a combination of bills for surgery and a failed court case against the other driver wiped out his personal finances. Cort began working far more aggressively, often taking villainous or voice roles. (Including notable appearances in the DC superhero shows created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini in the 1990s, most especially as Superman villain Toyman.)
As the years progressed, Cort aged into the role of the character actor—a transition helped along by directors who grew up watching Harold And Maude, and often found small but prominent roles for him in their films. (Kevin Smith cast a wordless Cort as one of the versions of God in his religious comedy Dogma, while Wes Anderson gave him a highlight as the charmingly dorky “bond company stooge” tasked with babysitting Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.) Cort continued to work into his 60s, with his final roles including multiple parts in shows created by the comedy outsiders at Adult Swim.
Cort’s death on Wednesday was confirmed by a long-time friend.
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