Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon in the Hal Ashby-directed 1971 film, ‘Harold and Maude.’ (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
Bud Cort, the actor known for his co-starring role in the 1971 film Harold and Maude, has died. He was 77.
Dorian Hannaway, a television producer and friend of Cort, confirmed Cort’s death to ABC News on Wednesday. Cort died of what was described as a long illness.
Cort was born Walter Edward Cox on March 29, 1948, in Rye, New York. Director Robert Altman discovered the actor and cast him in two 1970 films, M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud, which both went on to be hits.
He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Harold Chasen, a young man who falls in love with a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor played by Ruth Gordon, in director Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude. The movie was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry in 1997, as the Library of Congress deemed it to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
Other notable roles of his include parts in Michael Mann’s 1995 film Heat, the 1999 movie Dogma and Wes Anderson’s 2004 film The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. He also appeared in Coyote Ugly, Pollock, She Dances Alone and Electric Dreams.
Cort is survived by his brother, Joseph Cox, and his family; his sister Kerry Cox; his sister Tracy Cox Berkman and her family; and his sister Shelly Cox Dufour and her family.
David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham in season 2 of ‘Rivals.’ (Hulu)
We have our first look at Rivals season 2.
Hulu has revealed the first photos from the sophomore season of its original U.K. comedy-drama series. The new season will arrive in 2026 on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally.
The photos show off David Tennant back in his role as Lord Tony Baddingham, as well as the rest of the ensemble cast. They include Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, KatherineParkinson, Danny Dyer, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook, Oliver Chris, Lisa McGrillis, Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Luca Pasqualino, Catriona Chandler and Annabel Scholey.
Season 2 of Rivals is once again set in the Cotswolds countryside amidst the world of 1980s British television. In addition to the returning cast of characters, a press release promises some exciting new faces joining the ensemble this time around.
This new season will pick up after the dramatic cliff-hanger of season 1 that left Tony’s fate hanging in the balance.
“Lord Baddingham is back and out for vengeance ready to stop at nothing to keep Corinium’s empire unrivaled,” according to an official description of season 2. “Careers, marriages, and reputations hang in the balance as personal and professional lives collide in a world where secrets can’t stay hidden for long.”
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A new trailer for a Michael Jackson biopic shows the late legend’s transformation from child star to King of Pop.
The trailer begins with scenes of Michael — played by Jaafar Jackson, MJ’s real-life nephew — psyching himself up in the studio, telling himself, “You’re the greatest of all time,” intercut with footage of him headlining a massive stadium concert.
It then flashes back to Colman Domingo as Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, giving his sons — the future Jackson Five — an ultimatum: “Y’all wanna work in a steel mill like me for the rest of your days? Y’all willin’ to fight for it?”
We see Michael as a child dancing and singing with his brothers before emerging as a solo star with Off The Wall. Conflict arises when his domineering father plans an international Jacksons tour, saying he wants to “capitalize on Michael’s success.”
“I love my family, but I just want to do my own thing,” Michael says. “I just have all these ideas in my head. I just gotta get them out.”
The rest of the trailer shows Michael’s rise to global stardom through a montage of iconic moments, including the “Beat It” and “Thriller” music videos and his moonwalk during the Motown 25 TV special. We also see him with Bubbles the chimp and alongside his mother, Katherine Jackson, who tells him, “I knew you were different the moment you were born.”
“I believe that music can change the world — spread love, joy, and peace,” Michael says in a closing voiceover. “That is what I want the world to feel. Magic.”
Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and also starring Nia Long and Miles Teller, arrives in theaters April 24.
Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner attend the Hand and Footprint Ceremony: Billy Crystal at the 2019 10th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival on April 12, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for TCM)
Several friends of the late Rob Reiner and Michele Singer are remembering the couple after they were found stabbed to death in their home in California on Sunday.
BillyCrystal and Janice Crystal, Albert Brooks and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan Zweibel and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry Levinson and Diana Levinson, and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith shared a joint statement with The Associated Press on Tuesday, paying tribute to the couple, who were frequent collaborators and worked together on several iconic classic films, including When Harry Met Sally… and Misery.
The statement memorialized Rob Reiner as an unparalleled director who “was always at the top of his game.”
“Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl (Reiner) and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller,” it read. “There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”
“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant,” the statement continued. “For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better. His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team. To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”
Rob Reiner and Singer were also remembered for their activism.
“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner,” their friends wrote. “Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens. … They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
The friends ended their statement with a quote from what they said was one of Rob Reiner’s favorite films.
“There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?'” they wrote. “You have no idea.”
Rob Reiner and Singer were found dead with stab wounds on Sunday in their Los Angeles home.
The couple’s son Nick Reiner was taken into custody on Sunday night and has since been charged by the Los Angeles district attorney with two counts of first-degree murder in relation to his parents’ deaths. He is currently being held without bail.
If convicted, the 32-year-old could face the death penalty.
