- Actor Bud Cort is dead.
- He died on February 11th at the age of 77 after a long illness.
- Cort became known for his role as Harold in “Harold and Maude”.
- He received important nominations for this role.
Actor Bud Cort (1948-2026), who became known as Harold in the cult film “Harold and Maude” (1971), died on Wednesday, February 11th in Connecticut after a long illness at the age of 77. This is reported by the industry magazine “Variety”.
Harold and Maude made him famous
The actor was born Walter Edward Cox on March 29, 1948 in upstate New York. He chose his stage name to avoid confusion with the actor Wally Cox. Cort owed his breakthrough to the director Robert Altman (1925-2006), who first gave him a small role in “MASH” (1970) and then cast him in the leading role in the comedy “Only Flying is More Beautiful” (1970). In it he played a young man who dreams of being able to fly.
However, the role of Harold in Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude” made him immortal. In the film he played a 20-year-old who was haunted by suicidal thoughts – until his encounter with the 79-year-old, wise-cracking Maude, played by Ruth Gordon (1896-1985), fundamentally changed his life. For his performance, Cort was nominated for both a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
In the following decades, Cort appeared in numerous other film and television productions, including “Electric Dreams” (1984), “Heat” (1995) and “Coyote Ugly” (2000).
Moving words from Roslyn Kind
After his death, the singer Roslyn Kind (75) remembers him. “I was only fourteen when I met Bud backstage at my sister’s play,” she is quoted by Variety. “He was studying art in high school at the time. We became close friends who shared an interest in entertainment. When I got married, Bud and our friend, songwriter Bruce Roberts, wrote a special song that was performed at the ceremony. His unique spirit will always be with me.” Barbra Streisand’s sister (83) knew from the first time they met that they would become best friends.
Cort is survived by his brother Joseph Cox and his sisters Kerry Cox, Tracy Cox Berkman and Shelly Cox Dufour, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in Los Angeles at a later date.
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Simon Misteli (sim), born in 1995, has been working as an editor at the news desk since 2024. He writes about a wide variety of topics with a focus on foreign stories.
date: 2026-02-12 01:42:00
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