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Bud Cort, the character actor best known for starring inHarold and Maude, has died.
The actor's friend, Dorian Hannaway, toldEntertainment Weeklythat Cort died at 77 on Wednesday in Connecticut after a long illness.
Born Walter Edward Cox in Rye, N.Y., in 1948, Cort developed an early interest in theater. He attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, N.Y., and often cut class to attend matinees of Broadway shows. Cort moved to Manhattan to attend New York University and auditioned for a number of projects, eventually appearing in uncredited roles in Robert Mulligan'sUp the Down Staircaseand Bob Fosse'sSweet Charity.
The actor used a stage name to differentiate himself from character actor Wally Cox. "Bud" was a nickname that he'd previously used, and "Cort" was a reference to both his mother's maiden name Court and the Cort Theatre on Broadway (which is now the James Earl Jones Theatre).
Cort's big break came in 1970 whenRobert Altmancast him in the seminal war dramedyM*A*S*H. In the film, Cort portrayed Private Lorenzo Boone, a nervous young corpsman whom Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall) berates after the death of a patient. The character was later played by Bruno Kirby and Robert Gooden in theM*A*S*HTV show.
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That same year, Cort played the title role in Altman's bizarre black comedyBrewster McCloud, which also marked the screen debut ofShelley Duvall. The film, and Cort's Brewster, epitomized all the possibilities of the New Hollywood movement that emerged in the late '60s and early '70s, which empowered auteur filmmakers to make complex, unusual films that would have been unthinkable a decade prior.
The character is among the unlikeliest of film protagonists: a morally ambiguous antihero who lives under the Houston Astrodome, attempts to build a pair of birdlike wings that will allow him to fly, and is also suspected of a string of bird-themed murders. And Cort's performance emphasized the character's oddball characteristics, ensuring that Brewster is an uncomfortable, unconventional presence to behold as he stumbles through the film's absurd proceedings.
The following year, Cort headlinedHarold and Maude, one of the defining dramedies of the 1970s. The film saw Cort play Harold, a young man who is obsessed with death and befriends and falls in love with Maude, a joyful 79-year-old Holocaust survivor portrayed by Ruth Gordon. Directed byHal Ashbyand written by Colin Higgins,Harold and Maudealso exemplified the changing tides of '70s Hollywood with its distinctive tone and taboo subject matter.
Though the film wasn't a hit upon release, the film earned Cort a nomination from the Crystal Stars (then the French equivalent of the Academy Awards) as well as a Golden Globe nom for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He also received a BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.
Cort made his Broadway debut inWise Childin 1972, but the show closed two days after it opened at the Helen Hayes Theater. He reunited with hisBrewster McCloudcostar Shelley Duvall in the 1976 TV movieBernice Bobs Her Hair.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The actor later headlined the 1975 Italian crime filmHallucination Strip, the 1977 Canadian dramedyWhy Shoot the Teacher?, the 1979 West German/British comedySon of Hitler, and the 1984 American comedyThe Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud.
Cort played a number of supporting roles in projects that spanned a multitude of genres in the 1980s, including the Jamie Lee Curtis–starring romanceLove Letters, the Tobe Hooper sci-fi horror filmInvaders From Mars, the historical dramaMaria's Lovers, and the horror thrillerBrain Dead. He also led the 1987 TV movieBates Motel, which was a spinoff of Alfred Hitchcock'sPsycho.
In 1991, Cort directed, co-wrote, and starred in the black comedyTed & Venus, about a California hippie who falls in love with a statuesque young woman (Kim Adams). The film also starred James Brolin, Carol Kane, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, Gena Rowlands, and numerous others.
Cort played the manager of Dennis Haysbert's character Don Breedan in the 1995 crime classicHeat. The next year, he played a supporting role in the Whoopi Goldberg vehicleTheodore Rex.
Lions Gate Films/Courtesy Everett
Two of Cort's most memorable supporting turns came in 1999. He played Peter, the homophobic father of Natasha Lyonne's Megan, in the cult classic comedyBut I'm a Cheerleader. He also portrayed John Doe Jersey, a homeless man who turns out to be God, in Kevin Smith's religious satireDogma.
The actor played numerous supporting roles in notable 2000s films, including Ed Harris' Oscar-wining biographyPollock, Jon Favreau's directorial debutMade, Joel Schumacher's thrillerThe Number 23, and the hit bar dramedyCoyote Ugly. Perhaps his most memorable role of the 2000s came in Wes Anderson'sThe Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, in which he played Bill Ubell, a "bond company stooge" who is kidnapped by pirates.
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Cort also lent his voice to several prominent animated projects throughout his career, includingBatman: The Animated Series,The Mask: Animated Series,Superman: The Animated Series,The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries,Static Shock, andJustice League Unlimited.
His final film credit came in 2015, when he voiced the King inThe Little Prince, and his final overall screen performance came in Bridey Elliott's 2016 shortAffections.
Cort is survived by his siblings Joseph, Kerry, Tracy, and Shelly, his siblings-in-law Vickie, Edward, and Robert; his nieces Meave, Brytnn, Jesse, Madeline, and Lucie; and his nephews Daniel and Peter.
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