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Bud Cort, Star Of Cult Classic ‘Harold And Maude,’ Dies At 77

By Marc Berman, Senior Contributor. Marc Berman is a New York-based reporter who covers media.
Feb 11, 2026 at 02:39pm EST Feb 11, 2026 at 02:40pm EST


LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 20: The movie "Harold and Maude", directed by Hal Ashby and written by Colin Higgins. Seen here, Bud Cort as Harold. Initial theatrical release December 20, 1971. Screen capture from theatrical trailer. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
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Character actor Bud Cort, best known for his iconic role as Harold in the 1971 cult favorite Harold and Maude, died Wednesday in Connecticut after a long illness. He was 77. ... Born Walter Edward Cox on March 29, 1948, in New Rochelle, New York, Cort was discovered by director Robert Altman while performing in a stage revue. Altman cast him in two of his 1970 films: M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud.

Cort made his screen debut in 1969 with an uncredited role in Up the Down Staircase and soon appeared in numerous television guest spots, including The Doctors, Room 222, and The Governor & J.J. ... His enduring fame came with Harold and Maude, in which he played a death-obsessed young man who forms an unlikely bond with a quirky elderly woman, portrayed by Ruth Gordon. Though it initially underperformed at the box office, the film became an international cult classic and is now ranked No. 69 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Greatest Romantic Comedies.


DECEMBER 20: Actors Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon perform in a scene from the movie "Harold & Maude" which was released December 20, 1971 in the United States. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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In 1979, Cort’s career was significantly impacted by a severe car accident on the Hollywood Freeway. Though he eventually recovered, the accident curtailed many acting opportunities and caused years of financial difficulty.

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