Bud Cort of 'Harold & Maude' & the DC Animated Universe Dies at 77

Bud Cort, famous for his quirky performance as Harold in the cult-classic comedy film "Harold and Maude," died at 77 on February 11. His friend Dorian Hannaway confirmed he had suffered a long illness.

In "Harold and Maude," one of the most memorable films of the '70s, Cort played a 20-year-old contemplating suicide until he strikes up an improbable romance with a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor, played by Ruth Gordon.

A box office bomb and critical failure in the U.S. at the time of its release in 1971, it has continually been reassessed, and finally made a profit in 1983. The film, set to the music of Cat Stevens, was added to the National Film Registry in 1997 for its cultural and artistic merit.

The film had always been more appreciated overseas, reflected in his nominations for a Most Promising Newcomer BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

Prior to his signature role, Cort — born March 29, 1948, in Rye, New York — had been discovered by filmmaker Robert Altman, making his credited debut in "M*A*S*H" (1970) and working with him again in "Brewster McCloud" (1970), the latter of which earned him a Laurel Award nomination for Male Star of Tomorrow.

Cort was always best in offbeat roles, even when he showed up in more mainstream fare.

His eclectic résumé included "Gas-s-s-s" (1971), "Pumping Iron" (1977), "Die Laughing" (1980), "The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud" (1984), "Love Letters" (1984), the voice of he computer in "Electric Dreams" (1984), "Invaders from Mars" (1986), "The Chocolate War" (1988), "Heat" (1995), "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died" (1998), "Dogma" (1999), "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999), "Coyote Ugly" (2000), "Pollock" (2000), "Made" (2001), and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004).

He appeared less frequently on TV, but his credits included "Columbo" (1973), "Tales from the Darkside" (1985), "The Twilight Zone" (1988), "And the Band Played On" (1993), "Arrested Development" (2006), "Ugly Betty" (2007), "Criminal Minds" (2010), as well as various animated series, including voicing Toyman in the DC Animated Universe.

Cort is survived by his brother and three sisters and their families.

Singer Roslyn Kind told Variety, "His unique spirit will always be with me.”