Alexander Viespi Jr. (May 3, 1933 – August 9, 2021), known professionally as Alex Cord, was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of
Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, better known as Archangel, in 55 episodes of the television series ''
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...
'' (1984–1986). Early in his career, he was credited as Alex Viespi.
Early life
Cord was born to an Italian family in
Floral Park, New York
Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863.
The Incorporated Village of Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, and is ...
,
the son of Marie (Paladino) and Alexander Viespi, who was in the construction business. Cord was stricken with
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
at the age of 12. His family then moved to
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
, where doctors advised him to take up horseback riding as a therapeutic exercise.
This helped him recover from the disease by the time he was 16. Cord attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
in New York City and the
American Shakespeare Theatre
The American Shakespeare Theatre was a theater company based in Stratford, Connecticut, United States. It was formed in the early 1950s by Lawrence Langner, Lincoln Kirstein, John Percy Burrell, and philanthropist Joseph Verner Reed. The Amer ...
at
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...
.
Career
In July 1960, Cord (billed under his real name) acted in a production of ''The Curious Savage'' in
Canal Fulton, Ohio
Canal Fulton is a city in Stark County, Ohio. The population was 5,325 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Canton-Massillon metropolitan area, Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
...
. He had a role in the 1961 episode "The Mountain Men" of the TV series ''
Laramie''.
Cord's second role came a month later as Nino Sanchez in the episode "Winter Quarters" of ''
Frontier Circus''. In 1962, he appeared as Larry Rome in the episode "Take a Number" of the crime drama ''
Cain's Hundred
''Cain's Hundred'' is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from 1961 to 1962. The series was produced by Vanadas Productions, Inc. in association with MGM Television.
Synopsis
''Cain's Hundred'' follows the life of Nicholas Cain (Pete ...
''.
Cord appeared in the 1962 film ''
The Chapman Report
''The Chapman Report'' is a 1962 American Technicolor drama film starring Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Claire Bloom and Glynis Johns. It was made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by ...
'', directed by
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...
.
He briefly enjoyed a leading man status on the big and small screen during the 1960s and 1970s, and starred or co-starred in mostly crime dramas, action films, and westerns.
In 1963 and 1964, Cord was cast as different characters in five episodes of the series ''
Route 66'', including the role of Michael in the two-part "Where There's a Will, There's a Way." In 1964, he played the part of Sam in the episode "If Your Grandmother Had Wheels" of ''
East Side/West Side
''East Side/West Side'' is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and, later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for one season (1963–1964), and was shown Monday nights on CBS.
Set in New York City, t ...
''. During this same period, he appeared twice on ''
Naked City''.
In 1965, Cord was cast as Jed Colbee in the episode "Survival" of ''
Branded''. In 1966, he played the Ringo Kid in a
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of ''
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
'', which arguably remains Cord's most heavily publicized endeavor, during which he was ballyhooed in the press as a former football player since the role was originally portrayed by minor college football player
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
(who had since starred in eighty Western movies, usually with his name above the title, throughout the 1930s) in
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
's
1939 version. Cord co-starred in ''
The Brotherhood'' with
Kirk Douglas, about a Mafia figure being sent to murder his own brother.
He guest-starred on the Rod Serling anthology series ''
Night Gallery
''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, ''The Twilight Zone ...
'' where he met his co-star and wife
Joanna Pettet
Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a retired English actress.
Early life
Pettet was born in Westminster, London, England.
Her parents, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in the Secon ...
while filming the episode "Keep in Touch - We'll Think of Something". In 1974, Cord twice guest-starred on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
series ''
Born Free
''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...
'', and he appeared in the motion picture ''
Chosen Survivors''.
Cord is among a handful of actors to appear on both the original and revival versions of CBS's ''
Mission: Impossible''. Cord also is known to science fiction enthusiasts for having portrayed
Dylan Hunt in the failed 1973 television pilot ''
Genesis II,'' which was created by
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
. In 1977, he starred as the title character in the epic western ''
Grayeagle
''Grayeagle'' is a 1977 American Western (genre), Western film directed Charles B. Pierce, written by Pierce, Brad White, and Michael O. Sajbel, starring Ben Johnson (actor), Ben Johnson, Iron Eyes Cody and Lana Wood. The theme is about kidnapp ...
''.
In 1972, he appeared as Pete Brown in the episode "The Sodbusters" of ''
Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
''. In 1973, he played the role of Haynes in "The Night of the Long Knives" on ''
The F.B.I.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
''
. From 1973 to 1976, he appeared in four episodes of ''
Police Story''. In 1979 and 1981, he appeared twice on ''
The Love Boat
''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...
''. In 1984 Cord starred in Airwolf The Movie a two-hour pilot of the subsequent series. In 1988, Cord was cast in an episode of ''
Simon and Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate ...
''; in 1988 and 1992, he appeared on ''
Jake and the Fatman
''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from Septemb ...
''. He also appeared in a 1988 episode of the TV series ''
War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...
''. He appeared twice in ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''. In 1995, Cord played the character Larry Curtis in the episode "The Guardians" of ''
Walker, Texas Ranger
''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film '' Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the ...
''.
Personal life
Cord had three children, daughter Toni Aluisa and sons Wayne Viespi and Damien Zachary Cord. Toni is the daughter of Mary Ann Hutchinson, whom Alex never married, and Wayne was the product of his first marriage. His second marriage was to actress
Joanna Pettet
Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a retired English actress.
Early life
Pettet was born in Westminster, London, England.
Her parents, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in the Secon ...
with whom he had Damien. His third marriage was to equestrienne/author Susannah Boye-Moller Cord.
Cord lived in Cooke County, Texas. Cord suggested that
Robert Fuller, his friend from ''Laramie'', also move to Texas to raise horses. Fuller and his second wife
Jennifer Savidge
Jennifer Savidge is an American actress, best known for her role as Nurse Lucy Papandrao in the NBC medical drama series, '' St. Elsewhere''. She is married to actor Robert Fuller.
Career
Savidge has appeared in a number of television shows. Fr ...
did relocate to Cooke County in 2004. Cord and Fuller often made appearances at western film festivals, highlighting their continuing mutual interest in "The Spirit of the Cowboy". Cord died at his home in
Valley View, Texas on August 9, 2021, at the age of 88.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards
* Award of the London Critics Circle, nominee for Best Actor
* 1966
Golden Laurel
The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the ...
, nominee for New Faces
* 2001
Golden Boot Award
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
, winner
Bibliography
* Alex Cord: ''Sandsong''; Warner Books, 1976 (ASIN: B000R321IY)
* Alex Cord: ''A Feather in the Rain''; Five Star Publications, 1995
Notes
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cord, Alex
1933 births
2021 deaths
People from Floral Park, New York
New York University alumni
People from Wyoming
People from Cooke County, Texas
Ranchers from Texas
American male television actors
Male actors from Los Angeles
People with polio
American people of Italian descent
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors