View source for Bud Cort

{{Short description|American actor and comedian (born 1948)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Bud Cort
| image              = BudCort.jpg
| caption            = Bud Cort in 2008
| birth_name         = Walter Edward Cox
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1948|3|29}}
| birth_place        = [[Rye, New York]], U.S.<ref name="Salon.com"/>
| occupation         = Actor, comedian
| years_active       = 1967–2015
}}
'''Walter Edward Cox''' (born March 29, 1948), known professionally as '''Bud Cort''', is an American actor known for his unorthodox starring roles in [[Robert Altman]]'s ''[[Brewster McCloud]]'' (1970), for which he was nominated for a [[Golden Laurel Award]], and [[Hal Ashby]]'s ''[[Harold and Maude]]'' (1971), for which he was nominated for both a [[Golden Globe Award]] and a [[BAFTA Award]]. He also had supporting roles in films such as ''[[MASH (film)|M*A*S*H]]'' (1970), ''[[Electric Dreams (film)|Electric Dreams]]'' (1984), ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'' (1995), ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (1999), ''[[Coyote Ugly (film)|Coyote Ugly]]'' (2000) and ''[[The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou]]'' (2004).
He also voiced [[Toyman]] over the course of various series in the [[DC Animated Universe]], including ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', ''[[Static Shock]]'', and ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''.
==Career==
Cort was discovered in a revue by director [[Robert Altman]], who subsequently cast him in two of his movies, ''[[MASH (film)|M*A*S*H]]'' and ''[[Brewster McCloud]]''. In the latter, he played the title role. 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, ranking Number 69 on the [[American Film Institute]]'s 100 Best Romantic Comedies.<ref>{{cite web| title=AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions| url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/| website=American Film Institute| access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>
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. The accident resulted in plastic surgeries, substantial hospital bills, a lost court case, and the disruption of his career.<ref name="Salon.com">{{cite web| url=http://www.salon.com/people/rewind/1999/09/04/cort/| title=Bud Cort profile| website=[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]]| date=September 4, 1999| access-date=2015-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://weht.net/bud-cort/| website=whet.net| access-date=2024-07-20| title=Bud Cort}}</ref>
He has since appeared in a number of film, stage and TV roles: ''[[Endgame (play)|Endgame]]'', ''[[Sledge Hammer!]]'', ''[[The Chocolate War (film)|The Chocolate War]]'', ''[[The Big Empty (2003 film)|The Big Empty]]'', ''[[Theodore Rex (film)|Theodore Rex]]'', ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'', ''[[But I'm a Cheerleader]]'', ''[[Pollock (film)|Pollock]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud]]'' and ''[[The Life Aquatic|The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou]]''.
Cort's voice-over roles include Edgar the computer in the movie ''[[Electric Dreams (film)|Electric Dreams]];'' [[Toyman]], a [[Superman]] villain, over the course of various [[DCAU]] series including ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', ''[[Static Shock]]'', and ''[[Justice League Unlimited]];'' and Josiah Wormwood in an episode of the earlier DCAU production ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''. He can also be heard as The King in the English-language version of the feature film ''[[The Little Prince (2015 film)|The Little Prince]]'' (2015), which premiered out of competition at the [[2015 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite news| title='The Little Prince' ('Le Petit Prince'): Cannes Review| url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/little-prince-le-petit-prince-797581| newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]| first=Leslie| last=Felperin| date=May 22, 2015| access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref> and won the [[César Award for Best Animated Film]] in February 2016.<ref>{{cite news| date=2016-02-27| title=France's César awards celebrate diversity with 'Fatima' and 'Mustang'| url=http://www.france24.com/en/20160227-french-cinema-oscars-cesar-film-fatima-mustang| website=[[France 24]]}}</ref> It was made available to U.S. audiences through [[Netflix]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite news| title=Netflix Picks Up 'The Little Prince' From Paramount| url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-picks-up-little-prince-876622| newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter| first=Gregg| last=Kilday| date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
Cort made a guest appearance on the November 8, 2007, episode of ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' as the priest officiating at [[Wilhelmina Slater|Wilhelmina Slater's]] ill-fated wedding. In 2010, he guest-starred on ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' in the episode "Mosley Lane", playing elderly pedophile Roger Roycewood who, along with his wife, kidnapped and killed young children. In 2012, he appeared as the artist "Gleeko" in the "Exit Wound the Gift Shop" episode of the second season of ''[[Eagleheart (TV series)|Eagleheart]]''.
==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1967
|''[[Up the Down Staircase (film)|Up the Down Staircase]]''
|Student
| rowspan="2" |Uncredited
|-
|1969
|''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]''
|Hippie
|-
|rowspan=4|1970
|''[[MASH (film)|MASH]]''
| Pvt. Lorenzo Boone
|
|-
|[[The Strawberry Statement (film)|''The Strawberry Statement'']]
|Elliot—Coxswain
|
|-
|''[[The Traveling Executioner]]''
|Jimmy Croft
|
|-
|''[[Brewster McCloud]]''
|Brewster McCloud
|Nominated—[[Laurel Awards|Laurel Award for Male Star of Tomorrow]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1971
|''[[Gas-s-s-s]]''
|Hooper
|
|-
|''[[Harold and Maude]]''
|Harold Parker Chasen
|Nominated—[[BAFTA Awards|BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer]]<br>Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]
|-
|1975
|''[[Hallucination Strip]]''
|Massimo Monaldi
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
|''[[Why Shoot the Teacher?]]''
|Max Brown
|
|-
|''[[Pumping Iron]]''
|Himself
|
|-
|1978
|''Son of Hitler''
|Willi Hitler
|
|-
|1980
|''[[Die Laughing (film)|Die Laughing]]''
|Mueller
|
|-
|1981
|''She Dances Alone''
|Director
|
|-
|1983
|''[[Hysterical (1983 film)|Hysterical]]''
|Dr. John
|
|-
|rowspan=4|1984
|''[[The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud]]''
|Sigmund Freud
|
|-
|''[[Love Letters (1984 film)|Love Letters]]''
|Danny De Fronso
|
|-
|''[[Electric Dreams (film)|Electric Dreams]]''
|Edgar, the Computer
|Voice
|-
|''[[Maria's Lovers]]''
|Harvey
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
|''Telephone''
|
|
|-
|''[[Invaders from Mars (1986 film)|Invaders from Mars]]''
|Mark Weinstein
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1988
|''[[Love at Stake]]''
|Parson Babcock
|
|-
|''[[The Chocolate War (film)|The Chocolate War]]''
|Brother Jacques
|
|-
|1989
|''[[Out of the Dark (1989 film)|Out of the Dark]]''
|Doug Stringer
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
|''Going Under''
|McNally
|Uncredited
|-
|''[[Brain Dead (1990 film)|Brain Dead]]''
|Jack Halsey
|
|-
|1991
|''[[Ted & Venus]]''
|Ted Whitley
|also director and co-writer
|-
|rowspan=2|1995
|''[[Girl in the Cadillac]]''
|Bud
|
|-
|''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]''
|Solenko, Restaurant Manager
|Uncredited
|-
|1996
|''[[Theodore Rex (film)|Theodore Rex]]''
|Spinner
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1998
|''[[I Woke Up Early the Day I Died]]''
|Shopkeeper
|(as Lord Heinrich "Binky" Alcoa III)
|-
|''[[Sweet Jane (film)|Sweet Jane]]''
|Dr. Geiler
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
|''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]''
|John Doe Jersey (aka [[God]])
|
|-
|''[[But I'm a Cheerleader]]''
|Peter Bloomfield
|
|-
|rowspan=4|2000
|''[[South of Heaven, West of Hell (film)|South of Heaven, West of Hell]]''
|Agent Otts
|
|-
|''[[The Million Dollar Hotel]]''
|Shorty
|
|-
|''[[Coyote Ugly (film)|Coyote Ugly]]''
|Romero
|
|-
|''[[Pollock (film)|Pollock]]''
|Howard Putzel
|
|-
|2001
|''[[Made (2001 film)|Made]]''
|Bernardo, Gay House Owner
|Uncredited
|-
|2003
|''[[The Big Empty (2003 film)|The Big Empty]]''
|Neely
|
|-
|2004
|''[[The Life Aquatic|The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou]]''
|Bill Ubell
|Nominated—[[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast]]
|-
|2007
|''[[The Number 23]]''
|Dr. Sirius Leary
|Uncredited
|-
|2014
|''Dream Corps LLC''
|Carl Kwartz
|
|-
|2015
|''[[The Little Prince (2015 film)|The Little Prince]]''
|The King
|Voice<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=Bud Cort (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Bud-Cort/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
|}
===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1973
|''[[Columbo]]''
|Milt
|Episode: "Double Exposure"; uncredited
|-
|1976
|''[[Bernice Bobs Her Hair]]''
|Warren
|PBS television film
|-
|1980
|''[[Brave New World (1980 film)|Brave New World]]''
|Bernard Marx
|BBC television film
|-
|1982
|''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]''
|Teddy
|Episode: "Teddy"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]''
| Abe North
| Episode: "Snip, Snip"
|-
|[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|''Tales of the Unexpected'']]
|Newt
|Episode: "Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery" (filmed in 1981)
|-
|1987
|''[[Bates Motel (film)|Bates Motel]]''
|Alex West
|NBC television film
|-
|1988
|''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
|Willy Gardner
|Episode: "[[The Trunk (The Twilight Zone)|The Trunk]]"
|-
|1992
|''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''
|Josiah Wormwood
|Voice, episode: "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1993
|''[[And the Band Played On (film)|And the Band Played On]]''
|Antique Shop Owner
|HBO television film
|-
|1995
|''[[The Mask: Animated Series]]''
|Fritz Drizzle/The Tempest
| rowspan="2" |Voice, 2 episodes
|-
|1996
|''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]''
|[[Toyman]]
|-
|1998
|''[[The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries]]''
|Flint Northwood
|Voice, episode: "The Stilted Perch"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2003
|''[[Static Shock]]''
| rowspan="2" |Toyman
|Voice, episode: "Toys in the Hood"<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |2006
|''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''
|Voice, episode: "Alive!"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]''
|Himself
|
|-
|2010
|''[[Criminal Minds]]''
|Roger Roycewood
|
|-
|2012
|''[[Eagleheart (TV series)|Eagleheart]]''
|Gleeko
|
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|1069}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cort, Bud}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Film directors from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York (state)]]
[[Category:People from Rye, New York]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:Comedians from New York (state)]]