Bud Cort was born as Walter Edward Cox on March 29, 1948 in New Rochelle, New York and grew up in near by Rye, New York as the 2nd eldest of 5 children, having 1 older brother and 3 younger sisters. His mother, Alma Mary (Court) Cox, was a reporter and merchant, who also once worked for MGM studios. His father, Joseph Parker Cox, was a bandleader, pianist, and merchant, who died of MS in 1971.

Bud started out acting from the time he was in nursery school. "I was born an actor. It was one of these freak situations. I spoke at my nursery school commencement. I was in all the school plays. I was a chubby child and usually played Santa Claus," so Bud Cort told the Soho Weekly News in 1982. During his childhood, Bud was also a local portrait painter.

In his teens, Bud began to travel to New York City to see Broadway plays and to take acting lessons, eventually studying with Stella Adler, William Hickey, David Craig, George Morrison and Joan Darling. After graduating from Iona Prep in 1966, he spent two years studying design at New York University while making appearances as a delivery boy on the TV soap opera, "The Doctors", before dropping out, to pursue acting full-time, performing in off-Broadway plays and in TV commercials.

In 1967, Bud made his film debut in the film "Up the Down Staircase" (1967), in a walk-on part at the very end of the film. His first speaking part came two years later, when cast as a flower child in "Sweet Charity". Being typecast as a flower child frustrated Bud, and seeking diversity, he began to write stand-up comedy material. He started appearing in nightclubs, first as a solo act, teaming up with his former girlfriend, Jeannie Berlin, and later with Judy Engles (Candy Gulf in "Harold and Maude").

In 1969, as part of a revue at Upstairs at the Downstairs called "Free Fall," Bud was discovered by director Robert Altman, who cast him in the role of Pvt. Lorenzo Boone in his hit war black comedy "M*A*S*H" (1970). Altman, impressed by Bud's performance, then cast him in his first leading role, that of the title character in "Brewster McCloud" in 1970.

But it was his career-defining role of Harold Chasen in the black comedy classic "Harold and Maude" in 1971, that brought him to the public's eye. At its original release in 1971, the film was not a hit, but Bud did receive best actor nominations from the Golden Globes and British Film Academy. From the French, he received a Crystal Star (now known as the Caesar) as Best Actor for the film, only one of 3 American actors, at the time, to be given such an honor, with James Dean, Henry Fonda being the other two, and he was given an Homage by the Cinematheque Française, being presented for the honor by Jacques Tati.

However, again, Bud found himself being typecast, and disillusioned with the film roles he was being offered, dropped out of sight for five years. During that time, he continued acting in theatrical productions, including a brief stint on Broadway in the play "Wise Child" with Donald Pleasance, and in Los Angeles in "Forget-Me-Not Lane".

Also during that time, Bud became good friends with the legendary Groucho Marx, living off and on in Groucho's Bel Air mansion between 1970 and 1977.

He returned to film in the mid 1970's, but continuing to turn down "weirdo" roles, Bud was labeled as a "hard sell," becoming known for what he turned down as much as for the roles he accepted, such as that of Billy Bibbit in the hit film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". At this time he began to add radio work to his repertoire, and for gratis, did a successful reading of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye".

In 1979, Bud was in a near-fatal car accident, which resulted in a skull fracture, a broken arm and leg, severe facial lacerations, loss of several teeth, and the near complete severing of his lower lip. Bud endured several years of plastic surgery on his face as well as physical therapy, which slowed down his film career even further. However, he continued to work in such films as "Electric Dreams," "Love Letters" and "Maria's Lovers," and a leading role in the film "The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud," all in 1984, as well as finding steady work in television, appearing in such shows as "Faerie Tale Theatre," "Insight," "Dream On," and "The New Twilight Zone".

He also continued working in the theater, in such plays as "Demon Wine" and in "Endgame," performed both at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City and in Los Angeles at the Mayfair Theatre, where Bud was nominated for an LA Critics Circle Award, and won the Dramalogue Award for Best Actor (1984). He also was the lead actor in a successful production of "He, Who Gets Slapped" in 1996. On radio, Bud originated a one-man show, "An Evening with Truman Capote," written by Lawrence Groebel, which frequently plays on LA's KCRW.

Today, Bud continues to pursue film, theatre, radio, television, and night club work. His latest film is the independent feature "The Big Empty". His next film project will be in Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic," which is expected to be released in late December, 2004.