Alex Cord Passes On

Alex Cord, who starred on the TV series Airwolf and appeared frequently on television, died on August 9 2021 at the age of 88.

Alex Cord was born Alexander Viespi Jr. on May 3 1933 in Floral Park, New York. He was twelve when he caught polio. The family moved to Wyoming where he took up horseback riding. He went to New York University in New York City. He studied acting at the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut. 

Alex Cord made his television debut in an episode of Laramie in 1961. In the Sixties he guest starred on such shows as Ben Casey, Frontier Circus, Cain's Hundred, Naked City, East Side/West Side, Route 66, Branded, and Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre. He appeared in the movies The Chapman Report  (1962), Synanon (1965)  Stagecoach (19660, The Brotherhood (1968), Stiletto (1969), and The Last Grenade (1970).

In the Seventies Alex Cord starred in the short-lived series W.E.B. and the unsold pilot Genesis II. He appeared on such TV shows as Night Gallery, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Insight, The F.B.I., Police Story, Police Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Love Boat. He appeared in such movies as Chosen Survivors (1974), Inn of the Damned (1977), and Grayeagle (1977). 

In the Eighties Mr. Cord starred on the short lived show Cassie & Co. and Airwolf. He guest starred on such shows as Fantasy Island; Hotel; Murder, She Wrote; The Law and Harry McGraw; Simon & Simon; War of the Worlds; and Jake and the Fatman. 

In the Nineties Alex Cord guest starred on the shows High Sierra Search and Rescue; Kung Fu: The Legend Continues; Walker, Texas Ranger; and High Tide. He appeared in such movies as Roots of Evil (1992), CIA Code Name: Alexa (1992), and The Naked Truth (19920. His last appearance on screen was in 2009 in the movie Fire from Below.

Alex Cord was a particularly talented actor who played a variety of roles. He was the Ringo Kid in the 1966 remake of Stagecoach, Dylan Hunt in Gene Roddenberry's failed pilot Genesis II, and Archangel on Airwolf. He could play heroes as easily as he could play villains, and was as comfortable in Westerns as he was science fiction or action movies.