PROFILBARU.COM

Art Acord
Art Acord
	Acord, c. 1920
Born	Arthemus Ward Acord; April 17, 1890; Glenwood, Utah, U.S.
Died	January 4, 1931 (aged 40); Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Other names	Buck Parvin
Occupation(s)	Silent film actor, stunt performer, ranch hand, miner
Years active	1912–1929
Spouses	; Edythe Sterling (m. 1913; div. 1916) ; Edna Nores (m. 1920; div. 1925) ; Louise Lorraine (m. 1926; div. 1928)

Arthemus Ward "Art" Acord (April 17, 1890 – January 4, 1931) was an American silent film actor and rodeo champion. After his film career ended in 1929, Acord worked in rodeo road shows and as a miner in Mexico.

Early life and career

Acord was born to parents who were Utah pioneers and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Valentine Louis Acord and Mary Amelia Acord (née Pedersen), in the ranching area called Prattville, just west of the town of Glenwood, Utah. Art's father was of German and English descent. The Acord family descends from a Prussian mercenary soldier of the American Revolutionary War whose name was Eckert. Art's paternal grandmother was a descendant of Frances Latham, an early settler of New England who has been called the "Mother of Governors" and the "Mother of Champion Cowboys". Art's mother, who was of Danish descent, died when Art was just 19 months old while the family was living in the Stillwater, Oklahoma area. The Acord family had moved there for the mother's health and took part in the September 28, 1891 Oklahoma Land Run. She died a few weeks later on November 28, 1891. After her death, the family moved back to Utah. As a young man, Acord worked as a cowboy, ranch hand and rodeo contestant. He worked on the ranch of Preston Nutter. In 1912, he won the World Steer Wrestling (Bulldogging) Championship at the Pendleton Round-up and won that same World Championship title again in 1916, defeating challenger and friend Hoot Gibson.^{[citation needed]}

Acord was one of the few cowboys to have ridden the acclaimed bucking horse Steamboat (who later inspired the bucking horse logo on the Wyoming license plate) for a qualified ride and championship. His rodeo skills had been sharpened when he worked for a time for the Miller Brothers' traveling 101 Ranch Wild West Show. It was with the 101 that he became friends with Tom Mix, Yakima Canutt, Bee Ho Gray, "Broncho Billy" Anderson and Hoot Gibson. He was sometimes called the "Mormon cowboy" and has been noted as the first real cowboy to become a Hollywood cowboy. He went on to become a noted actor in silent Western films. Acord also performed as a stunt man. He made over 100 film shorts, most of which are now considered lost.^{[citation needed]}

Acord enlisted in the United States Army in World War I and served overseas. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery. At war's end, he returned to the motion picture business, appearing in a series of popular film shorts and as "Buck Parvin", the title character for a Universal Pictures serial. Because of a heavy drinking problem and his inability to adapt to the advent of talkies, Acord's film career declined^{[citation needed]} and he ended up performing in road shows and mining in Mexico.^[1] In March 1928 Acord was seriously burned in an explosion at his home; the loss of his sight was feared.^[2]

Personal life

Acord was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Edythe Sterling in 1913. They divorced in 1916. In 1920, he married former actress Edna May Nores. Nores filed for divorce in April 1924 citing physical abuse and infidelity. The divorce was finalized the following year.^[3]^[4] His third marriage was to actress Louise Lorraine on April 14, 1926. The couple divorced in June 1928.^[5]

Death

On January 4, 1931, Acord died in a Chihuahua, Mexico hospital shortly after taking cyanide in a local hotel room. He was depressed and told the doctor who treated him shortly before he died that he had intentionally taken poison because he wanted to die.^[6]^[7] His body was sent back to California by train.^[8] He was given a military funeral with full honors and was buried in the Vale of Memory section in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[9]^[10]

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Acord has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street.^[11]

Partial filmography

Short subject
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1910	Pride of the Range		Stunt performer
1910	The Two Brothers		Stunt performer
1910	The Sergeant	Indian scout
1911	Range Pals	Cowhand	Uncredited
1911	The White Medicine Man		Uncredited
1912	Custer's Last Fight	Trooper
1912	On the Warpath	Arrow Head, as a Young Brave
1913	The Claim Jumper	Deputy
1914	The Cherry Pickers	Hussar
1915	Buckshot John	Hairtrigger Jordan
1915	The Cowboy's Sweetheart	Jim Lawson, Cowboy
1915	A Cattle Queen's Romance	Bart, Dallia Ranch Cowboy
1916	Margy of the Foothills	Ben Marlin
1916	Curlew Corliss	Curlew Corliss
1916	Under Azure Skies	Bill Hardy
1919	The Wild Westerner	Larry Norton
1919	The Fighting Line	Mart Long
1919	The Kid and the Cowboy	Jud
1920	The Fiddler of the Little Big Horn
1920	Call of the West
1921	Fair Fighting	Bud Austin
1922	Go Get 'em Gates	Go Get 'em Gates
1922	Tracked Down	Barney McFee, RCMP

Features
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1912	The Invaders	Telegrapher	Stunt double
1914	The Squaw Man	Art - Townsman
1917	Heart and Soul	Undetermined Role	Uncredited
1917	The Show Down
1917	Cleopatra	Kephren	Lost film
1918	Headin' South		Lost film
1920	The Moon Riders	Buck Ravelle, a Ranger	Lost film
1921	The White Horseman	Wayne Allen/The White Horseman	Lost film
1921	Winners of the West	Arthur Standish/The Mysterious Spaniard	Serial Lost film
1922	In the Days of Buffalo Bill	Art Taylor	Lost film
1923	Don't Come To Hollywood	Undetermined lead role	Lost film - directed by Ward Wing with Lillian Marshall, Victor Rodman & Henry Woodward
1923	The Oregon Trail	Jean Brulet	Lost film
1924	Fighting for Justice	Bullets Bernard
1924	Looped for Life	Buck Dawn
1925	Three in Exile	Art Flanders
1925	The Circus Cyclone	Jack Manning
1925	The Call of Courage	Steve Caldwell
1925	The Wild Girl	Billy Woodruff
1925	Pals	Bruce Taylor
1925	The Silent Guardian	Jim Sullivan
1926	The Set-Up	Deputy Art Stratton
1926	The Terror	Art Downs
1926	Lazy Lightning	Lance Lighton
1927	Loco Luck	Bud Harris
1927	The Western Rover	Art Seaton/Art Hayes
1927	Spurs and Saddles	Jack Marley
1928	Two-Gun O'Brien	Two-Gun O'Brien
1928	His Last Battle
1929	The White Outlaw	Johnny "The White Outlaw" Douglas
1929	Wyoming Tornado
1929	The Arizona Kid	Bill "The Arizona Kid" Strong	Alternative title: Pursued
1929	Fighters of the Saddle	Dick Weatherby

References

^ "Art Acord Is Dead". Spokane Daily Chronicle. January 5, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
^ "Film Actor Burned". The Pittsburgh Press. March 19, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
^ "Edna Wants Her Freedom". The Day. April 12, 1924. p. 14. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^ "Art Acord Swallowed Poison, Dispatch Says". The Meriden Daily Journal. January 5, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^ "Acords In Discord". The Pittsburgh Press. June 25, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^ "Art Acord Of Screen Takes Poison, Dies". San Jose Evening News. January 5, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^ "Art Acord Called Suicide.; Ex-Cowboy Film Star, Working at Mining in Mexico, Takes Poison". The New York Times. January 5, 1931.
^ "Body of Acord in Hollywood". Rochester Evening Journal and the Post Express. January 16, 1931. p. 28. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^ "Military Honor Paid at Rites for Art Acord". The Los Angeles Times. January 18, 1931. p. A7.
^ Resting Places: The Burial Places of 14,000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson
^ "Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.