Born to Mormon parents in Prattsville, Utah, Acord as a young man worked as a cowboy and ranch hand. He went on to become one of the first true cowboys of Western films. He was sometimes called the Mormon Cowboy. A celebrated rodeo champion, Acord not only acted but also wrote scripts and performed as a stuntman. He won the Steer Bulldogging world championship in 1912 and repeated as champion in 1916, defeating challenger and friend Hoot Gibson. His rodeo skills had been sharpened when he worked for a time for Miller's 101 Ranch Wild West Show. It was with the 101 that he made friends with Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard and Tom Mix, all cowboys of the silver screen.

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 faded, and he ended up performing in road shows and mining in Mexico.

Art Acord died in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, on January 4, 1931 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Official Mexican records called it a suicide, but some of Acord's friends over the years insisted that he had been murdered by a Mexican politician who had caught Acord having an affair with his wife.

During his life, Art Acord made over 100 film shorts, all but a few of which have been lost.

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

Art Acord films still available: