Actor Bud Cort, whose tousled good looks and un-self-conscious style made him one of the most recognizable faces of 1970s films died on February 11, in Connecticut. He was seventy-seven. Cort died after a lengthy illness. His career showcased his talents on stage and screen, highlighting his career-long transformation from child actor to one of America's most interesting character actors.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Born Walter Edward Cox in New Rochelle, New York on March 29, 1948, Bud was the son of Joseph P. Cox, a popular orchestra leader, pianist and owner of men's clothing stores in New York City and Albany, and Alma M. Court, a journalist who previously served as assistant to MGM executive David O. Selznick. Bud was raised in neighboring Rye with his four siblings. Always the creative type, he appeared in his first school play before acting on the professional stage as a teenager and made extra money by painting portraits.
His love of performing took him to study acting with William Hickey at HB Studios in Greenwich Village as a teenager. After graduating from Iona Preparatory School, he applied to New York University as a scenic design major because their acting program was at capacity. During these years Cort appeared in commercials, soap operas and off-Broadway revues where he formed an onstage comedy team and garnered first-place awards in Manhattan nightclubs. Director Robert Altman spotted him in one of these revues, Free Fall, which launched his film career.
In 1970 Cort's first notable screen role came with the part of Private Lorenzo Boone in Altman's M*A*S*H. That same year he starred in the offbeat Brewster McCloud in which he played the title character.
However, his breakthrough role came with Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971), in which he starred as Harold Chasen, a morbid teenage boy whose life changes when he meets and falls in love with 79-year-old Maude, played by Ruth Gordon. Despite its poor initial performance at the box office, Harold and Maude went on to achieve cult status for its quirky nature and its emotion, heart and intelligence. For his role, Cort was nominated for both Golden Globe and BAFTA awards and became a counterculture icon.
But Cort had mixed feelings about his success as Bud. He later said Harold and Maude "was a blessing and a curse." While it cemented his position as Bud in the hearts of viewers, it also typecast him and he never found another breakout role. At one point he turned down a chance to audition for what would become one of Jack Nicholson’s most memorable roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a decision he later reflected on as part of his struggle to shape his own trajectory amid Hollywood’s persistent pigeonholing.
Of course, his career did not end during the 1970s. Cort would appear in a variety of movies in the coming years such as Electric Dreams (1984), Love Letters (1983), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Heat (1995), Dogma (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), and Pollock (2000). He would also voice several animated characters in the DC Animated Universe and remain active in television, theater, and avant-garde ventures into the early 2000s.
Away from the screen, Cort also had a full life. He struck up an esteemed friendship with comedian Groucho Marx and lived for many years as a guest of Marx in his Bel Air home. He was with Marx when he died in 1977. In 1979, Cort was nearly killed in an auto accident along the Hollywood Freeway when his car struck another vehicle head-on. Cort suffered numerous broken bones and critical facial injuries that resulted in major reconstructive surgery, an event that temporarily derailed his career.
Cort sometimes directed his own work as well. In 1991, he directed, co-wrote and starred in Ted & Venus, a black comedy that reflected his puckish take on life with intelligence and wit. Like many of his projects, it combined youthful exuberance with wisdom and maturity.
In addition to his remarkable diversity as an actor, Cort never forgot where he came from. He never lost that kid wonder of getting on a train into New York as a teenager to learn about acting. He never lost his curiosity. Upon Cort's death, many people who worked with him or who were familiar with his body of work commented on his off-screen graciousness, quick wit and passion for artistic integrity as well as his work.
Details of his funeral and burial remain private, a reflection of Cort’s lifelong preference for a quiet dignity beyond the glare of publicity. He is survived by his siblings, nieces, and nephews, and by generations of cinephiles for whom his work, particularly in Harold and Maude, will endure as an emblem of fearless individuality.
Bud Cort was an actor whose path led him from the quaint theaters of Greenwich Village to becoming a beloved cult film icon.
A true original, Bud embodied innocence and earnestness without sacrificing nuance, humor or heart. In a movie landscape full of flash and bombast, Bud Cort was singular: A quiet star who will never be forgotten.
If you enjoyed this tribute to the singular and unforgettable Bud Cort, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments, rate the piece, and pass it along to fellow film lovers who cherish the enduring spirit of Harold and Maude.
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