Bud Cort

Bud Cort
Bud Cort in 2008
Born
Walter Edward Cox

(1948-03-29) March 29, 1948 (age 76)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active1967–2015

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) and Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1971). He also had supporting roles in films such as M*A*S*H (1970), Electric Dreams (1984), Heat (1995), Dogma (1999), 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

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Cort was discovered in a revue by director Robert Altman, who subsequently cast him in two of his movies, 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.[2]

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.[1][3]

He has since appeared in a number of film, stage and TV roles: Endgame, Sledge Hammer!, The Chocolate War, The Big Empty, Theodore Rex, Dogma, But I'm a Cheerleader, Pollock, The Twilight Zone, The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.

Cort's voice-over roles include Edgar the computer in the movie 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), which premiered out of competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival[4] and won the César Award for Best Animated Film in February 2016.[5] It was made available to U.S. audiences through Netflix in 2016.[6]

Cort made a guest appearance on the November 8, 2007, episode of Ugly Betty as the priest officiating at 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.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes
1967 Up the Down Staircase Student Uncredited
1969 Sweet Charity Hippie
1970 MASH Pvt. Lorenzo Boone
The Strawberry Statement Elliot—Coxswain
The Traveling Executioner Jimmy Croft
Brewster McCloud Brewster McCloud Nominated—Laurel Award for Male Star of Tomorrow
1971 Gas-s-s-s Hooper
Harold and Maude Harold Parker Chasen Nominated—BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1975 Hallucination Strip Massimo Monaldi
1977 Why Shoot the Teacher? Max Brown
Pumping Iron Himself
1978 Son of Hitler Willi Hitler
1980 Die Laughing Mueller
1981 She Dances Alone Director
1983 Hysterical Dr. John
1984 The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud
Love Letters Danny De Fronso
Electric Dreams Edgar, the Computer Voice
Maria's Lovers Harvey
1986 Telephone
Invaders from Mars Mark Weinstein
1988 Love at Stake Parson Babcock
The Chocolate War Brother Jacques
1989 Out of the Dark Doug Stringer
1990 Going Under McNally Uncredited
Brain Dead Jack Halsey
1991 Ted & Venus Ted Whitley also director and co-writer
1995 Girl in the Cadillac Bud
Heat Solenko, Restaurant Manager Uncredited
1996 Theodore Rex Spinner
1998 I Woke Up Early the Day I Died Shopkeeper (as Lord Heinrich "Binky" Alcoa III)
Sweet Jane Dr. Geiler
1999 Dogma John Doe Jersey (aka God)
But I'm a Cheerleader Peter Bloomfield
2000 South of Heaven, West of Hell Agent Otts
The Million Dollar Hotel Shorty
Coyote Ugly Romero
Pollock Howard Putzel
2001 Made Bernardo, Gay House Owner Uncredited
2003 The Big Empty Neely
2004 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 The King Voice[7]

Television

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Year Film Role Notes
1973 Columbo Milt Episode: "Double Exposure"; uncredited
1976 Bernice Bobs Her Hair Warren PBS television film
1980 Brave New World Bernard Marx
1982 Insight Teddy Episode: "Teddy"
1985 Tales from the Darkside Abe North Episode: "Snip, Snip"
Tales of the Unexpected Newt Episode: "Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery" (filmed in 1981)
1987 Bates Motel Alex West
1988 The Twilight Zone Willy Gardner Episode: "The Trunk"
1992 Batman: The Animated Series Josiah Wormwood Voice, episode: "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy"[7]
1993 And the Band Played On Antique Owner
1995 The Mask: Animated Series Fritz Drizzle/The Tempest Voice, 2 episodes
1996 Superman: The Animated Series Toyman
1998 The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Flint Northwood Voice, episode: "The Stilted Perch"[7]
2003 Static Shock Toyman Voice, episode: "Toys in the Hood"[7]
2006 Justice League Unlimited Voice, episode: "Alive!"[7]
Arrested Development Himself
2010 Criminal Minds Roger Roycewood
2012 Eagleheart Gleeko

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bud Cort profile". Salon. September 4, 1999. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  2. ^ "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bud Cort". whet.net. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Felperin, Leslie (May 22, 2015). "'The Little Prince' ('Le Petit Prince'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "France's César awards celebrate diversity with 'Fatima' and 'Mustang'". France 24. February 27, 2016.
  6. ^ Kilday, Gregg (March 17, 2016). "Netflix Picks Up 'The Little Prince' From Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Bud Cort (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 3, 2023. 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.
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