Bud Cort, star of cult classic Harold and Maude, dies aged 77

US actor Bud Cort, best known for his role in the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude, has died aged 77.

Writer and producer Dorian Hannaway, a close friend, said he died after "a long illness". The BBC has reached out to Cort's representatives.

A veteran actor of stage and screen, Cort appeared in more than 80 films and TV series, including Wes Anderson's quirky comedy The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

But it was his star turn as a young, death obsessed Harold who falls in love with Maude, a charming elderly woman played by Ruth Gordon, in Hal Ashby's beloved film that stayed with audiences throughout his 50-year career.

While Harold and Maude was originally a commercial and critical flop, it later gained traction in the 1970s through a loyal cult following thanks to its unique dark humour and quirky romantic pairing.

"A young man obsessed with death falls in love with an old woman obsessed with life. She dies and teaches the kid how to live," Cameron Crowe described it for AFI in 2011. "And it's done with music [by Cat Stevens] that scratches at your soul... that movie holds up - to this minute."

Director Edgar Wright paid tribute to the actor's work, calling him a "welcome and magnetic presence in every film lucky enough to have him".

On his performance in Harold and Maude, Wright said: "Not only is this beloved film a pitch perfect black comedy-cum-love story for the ages, but Bud Cort delivers one of the greatest looks to camera in film."

The role earned him acting nominations for a Golden Globe and a Bafta.

Born in New Rochelle, New York in 1948, Cort showed an early interest in performing and acting in many school productions.

Hannaway remembered him as a "passionate theatregoer" who would sneak off to Manhattan to see Broadway shows and wait at the backstage door hoping to catch a glimpse of Barbra Streisand after watching Funny Girl.

Moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s to pursue a career in film, he was cast in a small part in the 1970 film M*A*S*H, before landing the titular role in Robert Altman's Brewster McCloud.

Cort worked steadily throughout his career with supporting roles in films such as Heat, Dogma and Invaders from Mars.

He also appeared in several popular TV series including Arrested Development, Ugly Betty and Criminal Minds.