Celebrity Nooz: Bud Cort

Bud Cort (Actor) - Harold and Maude

Updated: 8/03/21

Name: Bud Cort

Birth Name: Walter Edward Cox

Born: March 29, 1948 in New Rochelle, New York, USA

Claim To Fame: Bud Cort is an American actor and comedian, known best for his role as Harold in Hal Ashby's film Harold and Maude (1971).

Family Life: No info found.

Info: Cort's father, Joseph Parker Cox, was a bandleader and pianist, as well as a World War II veteran and merchant. His mother, Alma Mary, was a reporter and a merchant, who also worked at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios.

His parents ran a clothing business in downtown Rye from the 1950s until the mid-1980s.

Has three younger sisters and one older brother.

In 1979, Cort nearly died in a car accident on the Hollywood Freeway where he collided with an abandoned car blocking a lane into which he was turning. He broke an arm and a leg and sustained a concussion and a fractured skull. His face was severely lacerated and his lower lip nearly severed. Years of plastic surgery, substantial hospital bills, a lost court case, and the disruption of his career ensued.

He is a founding member of the L.A. Classical Theatre.

Alumnus of Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Trivia: Changed his name from Walter Edward Cox to Bud Cort when he realized he could not share his name with well-known character actor Wally Cox. He chose "Bud," as it was a nickname he'd been called, and "Cort" derived from his mother's maiden name, being Court, and the Cort Theatre in New York City.

Cort was discovered in a revue by director Robert Altman, who subsequently cast him in two of his movies, M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud.

Cort went on to his best-known role as the suicide-obsessed Harold in Harold and Maude. Though it was not particularly successful on release, it gained international cult status and is now considered an American classic.

In 1972, Cort was nominated for a Golden Globe - Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, for Harold and Maude (1971). In 1973, Cort was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award as Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Harold and Maude (1971).

He has played the same character (Winslow P. Schott, Jr./Toyman) in three different series: Superman: The Animated Series (1996), Static Shock (2000) and Justice League (2001).

Used to have a band who called themselves "Bud Cort and the Medflies." They occasionally performed at a "night spot" on the Sunset Strip in L.A. and at The Roxy Theatre.

First used the name "Bud Cort" when applying for an Equity card.

Proposed (twice) to actress Patti D'Arbanville.

Was a close friend of Orson Welles and Ruth Gordon, and is very good friends with Sally Kellerman.

When asked who he wanted to play Maude in Harold and Maude, he suggested Greta Garbo.

Where Are They Now: The 73-year-old actor hasn't been seen on the big or small screen in the last few years. It's possible that he's retired from the business, but hopefully Cort will be back soon; maybe in the next Wes Anderson movie? Fingers crossed.

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