Bud Cort played a character obsessed with death for 55 years before pneumonia finally claimed him.
The Harold and Maude star died February 11, 2026, at age 77 in an assisted-living facility in Norwalk, Connecticut. His friend Dorian Hannaway confirmed he’d battled a prolonged illness before succumbing to pneumonia complications.
Cort became a 1970s counterculture icon by playing Harold Chasen, a wealthy teenager who stages fake suicides and drives a hearse until meeting Ruth Gordon’s life-loving 79-year-old Maude.
What We Know
- Death date: February 11, 2026
- Age at death: 77 years old
- Cause: Pneumonia complications
- Location: Norwalk, Connecticut assisted-living facility
- Birth name: Walter Edward Cox
- Born: March 29, 1948, Rye, New York
- Breakthrough year: 1970 (MAS*H, Brewster McCloud)
- Defining role: Harold Chasen, 1971
- Career total: Over 80 films and TV series
The Movie That Changed Everything
Harold and Maude shouldn’t have worked. A romance between a death-obsessed 19-year-old and a Holocaust survivor three times his age violated every Hollywood rule.
Cort’s Harold stages elaborate fake suicides—hangings, self-immolations, hara-kiri—that barely faze his wealthy, cold mother. He attends random funerals for entertainment, where he meets Maude living in an abandoned train car.
Director Hal Ashby reveals Maude’s concentration camp number late in the film, explaining why someone who survived genocide approaches death with joy rather than fear. The relationship earned Cort nominations for both the Golden Globe and BAFTA.
The New York Times later noted the role made Cort “a household name and a film idol of the anti-establishment 1970s” but also “limited his growth as an actor”. He was forever typecast as Harold.
Robert Altman Saw Something Special
Robert Altman discovered Cort performing in a revue and immediately cast him in two 1970 films that launched his career: MAS*H and Brewster McCloud.
In MAS*H, Cort played the sensitive Private Boone. Altman recognized that Cort’s quirky energy and expressive face made him perfect for unconventional characters.
The director’s instinct was right—Cort went on to appear in over 40 films during the 1970s and beyond, including the comedy-drama Why Shoot the Teacher? and a TV adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Bernice Bobs Her Hair with Shelley Duvall.
The Accidents That Ended His Prime
A 1979 car accident left Cort with fractures to his arm and leg that required plastic surgery. The injuries limited his career opportunities throughout the 1980s.
Just when he’d rebuilt his career, a 2011 car crash severely injured his arm again. The damage made it challenging to find acting work in his later years.
These two crashes, 32 years apart, bookended Cort’s career decline. The physical toll likely contributed to his eventual need for assisted living.
He Reinvented Himself Through Voice Work
Cort found new audiences in animation. He voiced characters in Batman, The Mask, and Superman—DC’s animated universe became his second act.
His television work included memorable roles in Ugly Betty, Criminal Minds, and Arrested Development. He also appeared in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, bringing his unique energy to indie cinema’s next generation.
But fans never stopped recognizing him as Harold—the boy in the hearse who taught them death wasn’t something to fear.
Why This Performance Still Resonates
Harold and Maude made audiences comfortable discussing mortality. Cort’s deadpan delivery and genuine vulnerability turned what could have been morbid into something beautiful.
The film presented an intergenerational romance that felt genuine rather than exploitative. Cort and Gordon created chemistry that transcended age, wealth, and social conventions.
Born Walter Edward Cox on March 29, 1948, in Rye, New York, Cort built a career spanning stage, screen, and voice work. He worked steadily for over five decades.
His Final Chapter
Cort died quietly in Connecticut, far from Hollywood. A family spokesperson confirmed pneumonia complications claimed him after a long illness.
His friend Dorian Hannaway, a television producer, was among those who confirmed the news. Cort had been living in the assisted-living facility for an undisclosed period.
He leaves behind over 80 film and TV credits, but one role defines his legacy. Harold and Maude remains a cult classic that continues influencing filmmakers who see how Cort made the unconventional unforgettable.
The boy who loved death finally met it on his own terms—peacefully, at 77, after a life well-lived.
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