Bud Cort, the star of the 1971 classic Harold and Maude, has died at the age of 77.
The actor, who is best known for playing Harold in Hal Ashby's classic, died on Wednesday at an assisted-living facility in Norwalk, Connecticut. A representative for the family told The New York Times that he died from complications of pneumonia.
Cort, who was born Walter Edward Cox, was discovered at a revue by director Robert Altman, who gave him his start in film by casting him in his 1970 movies M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud, in which he played the title character.
His best-known role came soon after, when he was only 20 years old. In the dark romantic comedy Harold and Maude, he played a death-obsessed 19-year-old who falls in love with a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor named Maude. Although the film was originally a commercial and critical flop, Cort received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for his performance, and it later gained a following.
Over the course of his 50-year career, Cort appeared in more than 80 films and TV series, with his film credits including Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Heat, Dogma, Electric Dreams and Coyote Ugly. He also directed, co-wrote and starred in the 1991 dark comedy Ted & Venus.
Cort also appeared in TV shows such as Arrested Development, Ugly Betty, The Twilight Zone and Criminal Minds and voiced the character Toyman in several series within the DC Animated Universe.
Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright paid tribute on X, writing, "A very sad, but extremely fond farewell to the unforgettable Bud Cort, a welcome and magnetic presence in every film lucky enough to have him, not least the co-lead in, arguably, the cult film to rule them all; 1971's Harold And Maude."
He added, "He was always fun to watch in any part big or small... and if you haven't seen Harold And Maude, rectify this tonight."
Cort is survived by his brother Joseph Cox and sisters Kerry Cox, Tracy Cox Berkman and Shelly Cox Dufour.
