Bud Cort
Bud Cort is an American film and stage actor, comedian, writer, director, and voice artist widely known for his portrayals of Harold in Hal Ashby's 1971 film "Harold and Maude", and the eponymous hero in Robert Altman's 1970 film "Brewster McCloud".
He became an international star and endeared himself to millions with his tragicomic portrayal of the hapless Harold in the film Harold and Maude for which he won France's Crystal Star as Best Actor. Born in Rye, New York, he began his motion picture career as an extra in Up the Down Staircase (1967), followed by a small part in Sweet Charity (1969). He next worked off-Broadway, and on the popular television soap opera, The Doctors (in 1968).
Cort then began writing comedy material and appearing in some of Manhattan's top nightspots. He was discovered by Robert Altman, and cast as Private Boone in the movie M*A*S*H* (1970).
Altman next cast him in the title role of his black comedy/fantasy Brewster McCloud (1970). Harold and Maude (1971) with Ruth Gordon followed. During the past four years, Cort has starred with Samantha Eggar in the Canadian films, Why Shoot the Teacher (1977), and She Dances Alone (1981)-- a docu-drama based on the life of Kyra Nijinsky, daughter of the great dancer.
On television, Cort starred in NBC's Brave New World, Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, and the Paulist Fathers' series, Insight. He co-starred with Shelley Duvall in Joan Micklin Silver's acclaimed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair, on PBS.
Cort made his Broadway debut in Simon Grey's Wise Child, opposite Donald Pleasence, and he's appeared in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum in Peter Nichol's Forget-Me-Not Lane. He also appeared at the Taper in Dory Previn's original musical, August 11, 1947.
Cort is quite proud of his reading of J.D. Salinger's novel, Catcher in the Rye, which was syndicated internationally on radio, as well as the one man show, "An Evening with Truman Capote" for the radio station KCRW. He appeared with Tom Waits in the L.A. Premiere of Thomas Babe's "Demon Wine" and was nominated for the LA Theatre Critics Best Actor award for his performance in Samuel Beckett's "ENDGAME," [in 1984] which he first played in New York at the Cherry Lane Theatre. For his performance as Clov, Bud was awarded the Dramalogue Award as Best Actor.
Recent films include Kevin Smith's "Dogma", Ed Harris' "Pollock", and his own controversial film, "Ted and Venus" (Col. Tri Star Home Video) which Bud directed, co-wrote, and starred in with Woody Harrelson and Gena Rowlands and which initially, like "Harold and Maude" disturbed some critics and yet was hailed as a "tiny masterpiece," and "a courageous film, Bud Cort's finest performance."
Bud is a member of the Director's Unit of the Actor's Studio. Besides Bill Hickey, he has studied extensively with Stella Adler, Joan Darling, David Craig, and Del Close of 2nd City. Bud recently starred in televisions "Arrested Development," "Funny or Die Presents", the highly regarded "Mosley Lane" episode of "Criminal Minds and Chris Elliot's "Eagleheart" ("Exit Wound the Gift Shop).
Cort's voice can be heard as The King in the English-language version of The Little Prince (2015). The film premiered out of competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and won the CĂ©sar Award for Best Animated Film in February 2016. It was made available to U.S. audiences through Netflix in 2016.