RIP Alex Cord

 

American actor Alex Cord who became best known in Hollywood for his 1960s and 1970s work in action-adventure roles, died in his sleep on August 9, 2021. He was 88. Born Alexander Viespi Jr. in Floral Park, New York on May 3, 1933, he was riding horses from the age of 2. Stricken with polio at the age of 12, he was confined to a hospital for a long period of time before he overcame the illness. He was left with one leg shorter and a damaged lung. He held his dream of becoming a jockey until realizing he would soon be too tall. He then was determined to be a cowboy. Anything that would put him near horses. Prodded by an interest in acting, Alex studied with some of the best teachers in New York. He began his professional career in summer stock (The Compass Players in St. Louis, Missouri) and at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut where he played “Laertes” in a production of “Hamlet”. At every opportunity he pursued his passionate love of horses with endless hours of training to become the best all-around horseman he could. He guest-starred in TV classics such as ‘Route 66’, ‘Naked City’, ‘Branded’, ‘Murder She Wrote’, ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘Laramie’, ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’, ‘Police Story’, Police Woman’. He gained his most TV fame as Archangel in 1984’s ‘Airwolf’ alongside Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine. He’s probably best remembered for his film role as the “Ringo Kid” in the remake of “Stagecoach” with Ann-Margret, Bing Crosby, Van Heflin and Bob Cummings. Cord made one Euro-western: 1968’s “A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die” as Clay McCord.