Art Acord on AllMovie

American actor Art Acord has the distinction of being one of the very few real cowboys to play one in early westerns. Acord was a wild one who began riding the rodeo in Wild West shows at the turn-of-the-century. In 1909, he went on to become a stunt man in very early western single-reelers. Five years later he began working for Mutual under the name Buck Parvin. He fought in WW I and upon his return became one of Universal's star cowboys during the 1920s. He married twice during that time. When sound became popular, Acord's career took a major dive. He then relocated to Mexico where he worked in a rodeo. In 1931 Acord was found dead in his Chihuahua, Mexico hotel room. Apparently he'd taken cyanide, but though his death is officially listed as a suicide, there are those who think Acord may have been murdered.