Bud Cort, American actor/comedian, was born Walter Edward Cox in New Rochelle, New York. The second of five children, he grew up in Rye, New York, the son of Joseph P. Cox, an orchestra leader, pianist, and owner of a successful men's clothing store in Rye, and Alma M. Court a former newspaper and Life magazine reporter and an executive asst. at ...
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Star Sign
Aries
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Trademark
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Chameleon-like ability to inhabit his characters in a completely brilliant and inimitable way.
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Soft-spoken voice
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Quote
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(On Harold and Maude (1971)) And we shot every single word that was in that script. There was no improvisation. ... But to sell it, I had to really live it. There were moments that were hard, but Hal Ashby was such a loving director.
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(On the death of Robert Altman) Bob was, in essence, a master painter and the depth and breadth of his art changed the face of film forever. His wildest talent was that he could look at you and see immediately what you were trying to hide.
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Artists pray for inspiration and when it comes, you can't divulge it or express it without someone thinking you're crazy!
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It's funny...God makes us mad if we work and go mad if we don't.
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I was taken to county fairs and painted thousands of portraits every day. But it became too mechanical -- I knew I had to express myself more. I dreamed of being an actor but never thought I could be one.
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I don't want no retro spective.
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(Describing the first time he met Groucho Marx) I had just gotten off the plane from New York City, and I had hair down to my shoulders and a beard. I took a cab up to his house in Bel-Air, and the minute my fist connected with the door, the door opened, and there stood Groucho. He looked at me, his mouth flew open, he gasped and he slammed the door in my face. [Another guest, who knew Bud, opened the door and brought Bud in to introduce him to Groucho]. Groucho said, "I'm sorry. I thought you were Charles Manson".
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Age is like a coat that you can put on or take off. I prefer to not have that coat on.
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I loved Robert Altman. Even though we only made MASH (1970) and Brewster McCloud (1970), he offered me McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and I had to turn it down to do Harold and Maude (1971). But I never got over working under his supreme command and imagination. I adored Hal Ashby - he let me go to the limit and beyond and was always there to catch me. Robert Dornhelm is a fantastic director. I recently did an uncredited role for Joel Schumacher in The Number 23 (2007) with Jim Carrey. I was fascinated by Joel's kindness and relaxation on the set and yet his eye was constantly focused like an eagle. Wes Anderson is a trip. He is his own planet, a real artist; I just think he has so much greatness to give. His potential is enormous and gleaming, just like his fabulous New York loft.
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I had no choice. I *had* to act. I could memorize anything plus I only felt comfortable and safe on stage. And this was from nursery school to kindergarten and onward and continues up to this day. I played Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" in the third grade!
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I lived in a tepee in the living room, which already had a cathedral ceiling being English Tudor. I dreampt a lot. I drew. I was a bit of a child prodigy and would be taken to fairs, set up my easel and do 100 portraits. Later I took commissions from the Rye Art Store and made good money until I started to feel like a plastic surgeon with all the babes requests to remove age lines. I went to NYU and was supposed to be a scenic designer but I kept sneaking into acting classes. I was studying with the great Bill Hickey in my off time, playing a delivery boy on a soap opera and doing off-off Broadway. I had to make a choice. I chose acting.
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(Describing why he feels Harold and Maude (1971) is a success) I think because it is totally timeless, reveals so much mystery and truth about the big questions of life, and contains two inimitable performances, if I do say so myself. (Though many have tried).
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(Describing Harold and Maude (1971)) It was a genius script, written by Colin Higgins. Nothing was filmed that was not in that script. I knew immediately upon reading it that it would be a classic.
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Acting was a safe haven from the Sturm and drang at home. Theatre let me escape.
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(Describing Barbra Streisand) She was nineteen-years-old and had these black Martian eyes. She sang like a bird and I thought she was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen.
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(Describing Groucho Marx) He was definitely one of my heroes. He inspired me so, still does. He gave me a lot of love, something I'll cherish forever. He also gave me his tooth, but that's another story.
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Santa Claus was one of my first heroes, no doubt about it.
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I was walking with Ruth Gordon to the set and I saw this dead squirrel. I said "Look at that!" so she turns around and goes "Yech, why did you want to show me that?" I said, "I don't know".
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Ever since Harold and Maude (1971), people have generally regarded me as an arbiter of weirdness. So, I'll tell you what I find weird: I find malice, violence and poverty weird. But, more than that, I find Hollywood package deals weird. Agents are always sending me scripts and then reneging, telling me that I'm not Robert De Niro.
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You're never fully dressed without a smile.
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Fact
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He has played the same character (Winslow P. Schott, Jr. / Toyman) in three different series: Superman (1996), Static Shock (2000) and Justice League (2001).
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As a cabaret singer, Bud has performed all over the world. People still talk about his opening night at the Roxy Nite Club on Sunset Blvd where he performed with three back up singers called "The Medflies" in front of a packed house including Mick Jagger, Marisa Berenson, Richard Gere, and other Hollywood royalty.
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Had three great-grandfathers, all of whom were fishermen and lost at sea.
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First used the name "Bud Cort" when applying for an Equity card.
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Resides in a home built in the 1920s, composed of parts from a ship, and formerly owned by Jack London.
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Legend has it that his mother, Alma Mary Cox, turned down a marriage proposal from Clark Gable.
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For a time, Judy Engles performed stand-up comedy with Bud Cort at the "Upstairs At The Downstairs" theatre, where director Robert Altman supposedly discovered him.
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As a child, Bud visited his great-grandmother every summer in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
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For eight months was a member of the psychedelic, 1960s spiritual group "The Source" and worked at a health food store.
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Used to have a band who called themselves "Bud Cort and the Medflies." They occasionally performed at a "night spot" on the Sunset Strip in L.A. and at The Roxy Theatre.
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Used to live on 12th Street and Second Avenue in New York City.
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Product of a strict Catholic upbringing and education he spent nine years with the Sisters of Charity, and four years with the Christian Brothers of Ireland.
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In the 1980s, he owned a Boston Terrier named Lillian.
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Changed his name from Walter Edward Cox to Bud Cort when he realized he could not share his name with well-known character actor Wally Cox. He chose "Bud," as it was a nickname he'd been called, and "Cort" derived from his mother's maiden name, being Court, and the Cort Theatre in New York City.
In 1979, he was nearly killed in a car accident where he suffered a fractured skull, severe facial lacerations, the loss of several teeth and a broken arm and leg. He survived, but due to the medical necessities of his accident, he endured years of plastic surgery and physical therapy, lost the court case for the accident and saw his blooming career slip away from him.
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He is a founding member of the L.A. Classical Theatre.
$2 Million
