Alex Cord

Alex Cord began riding horses at the age of two, nurturing a dream of becoming a professional horseman. While riding bulls and bareback horses on the rodeo circuit, he suffered a serious injury that prompted him to go back to school, where he took up acting. Originally trained for the stage at the Actors Studio, Cord made his entrance into Hollywood by way of his experience with horses. Though he began the 1960s working on television in Westerns such as "Laramie" and "Branded," and crime shows like "Route 66" and "Naked City," he eventually made his way into film, where he starred or co-starred in more than 30 movies, including "Synanon," "Stagecoach," "Stiletto," and "The Brotherhood." Cord began to take roles in international features during the late 1960s and 1970s, with parts in "Un minuto per pregare, un instante per morire," and "The Last Grenade," while continuing to work in Hollywood, playing the title role in 1977's "Greyeagle." The veteran actor has also appeared in more than 300 television series, such as "Fantasy Island," "Walker, Texas Ranger," and both incarnations of "Mission Impossible." His most recognizable role, however, came in 1984, when he played the white-suited Michael Coldsmith Briggs III in the television series "Airwolf." Alex Cord died at the age of 88 on August 9, 2021.