Cliff Lyons was an American actor, stuntman and second-unit director, primarily of Westerns, particularly the films of John Ford and John Wayne. Lyons, the son of Garrett Thomas Lyons and Wilhamena Johnson Lyons, was raised on a South Dakota farm, though his family lived for a time in Memphis, TN, where he attended business school. An expert horseman, he gave up the notion of a business career and opted for the rodeo arena instead, touring the country;y and eventually reaching Los Angeles at the age of 21. With accomplished cowboys in great demand, Lyons quickly became involved in movies, working both as a stuntman and an actor. After only a couple of bit parts, he was signed by producer Bud Barsky to do seven inexpensive Westerns directed by Paul Hurst, with Lyons and Al Hoxie alternating as the hero and the heavy. Lyons and Hoxie alternated in another Western series produced by Morris R. Schlank, and, as Cliff 'Tex' Lyons, he seemed headed for minor stardom as a B-Western lead. However, Lyons' voice was not well-suited for sound and the talkie revolution confined him to small roles. As his small shot at stardom faded, however, his career as a stunt double for stars big and small was on the rise. He doubled such cowboy stars as Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Buck Jones and Johnny Mack Brown. In 1936 he worked with John Wayne for the first and struck up a personal and business relationship that would remain strong for three decades. Wayne was influential in getting Lyons his first work as a second-unit director and in introducing Lyons to John Ford, for whom Lyons would do some of his finest work. Lyons' reputation as a stunt coordinator is comparable to that of acknowledged master Yakima Canutt, with whom Lyons partnered on numerous occasions. Perhaps Lyons' most impressive work was the massive and dynamic battle sequences of Wayne's The Alamo (1960). He was married from 1938 to 1955 to actress Beth Marion, with whom he had two sons. Cliff Lyons died in 1974 at 72, not long after coordinating stunts for Wayne's The Train Robbers (1973).
Cliff Lyons was an American actor, stuntman and second-unit director, primarily of Westerns, particularly the films of John Ford and John Wayne. Lyons, the son of Garrett Thomas Lyons and Wilhamena Johnson Lyons, was raised on a South Dakota farm, though his family lived for a time in Memphis, TN, where he attended business school. An expert horseman, he gave up the notion of a business career and opted for the rodeo arena instead, touring the country;y and eventually reaching Los Angeles at the age of 21. With accomplished cowboys in great demand, Lyons quickly became involved in movies, working both as a stuntman and an actor. After only a couple of bit parts, he was signed by producer Bud Barsky to do seven inexpensive Westerns directed by Paul Hurst, with Lyons and Al Hoxie alternating as the hero and the heavy. Lyons and Hoxie alternated in another Western series produced by Morris R. Schlank, and, as Cliff 'Tex' Lyons, he seemed headed for minor stardom as a B-Western lead. However, Lyons' voice was not well-suited for sound and the talkie revolution confined him to small roles. As his small shot at stardom faded, however, his career as a stunt double for stars big and small was on the rise. He doubled such cowboy stars as Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Buck Jones and Johnny Mack Brown. In 1936 he worked with John Wayne for the first and struck up a personal and business relationship that would remain strong for three decades. Wayne was influential in getting Lyons his first work as a second-unit director and in introducing Lyons to John Ford, for whom Lyons would do some of his finest work. Lyons' reputation as a stunt coordinator is comparable to that of acknowledged master Yakima Canutt, with whom Lyons partnered on numerous occasions. Perhaps Lyons' most impressive work was the massive and dynamic battle sequences of Wayne's The Alamo (1960). He was married from 1938 to 1955 to actress Beth Marion, with whom he had two sons. Cliff Lyons died in 1974 at 72, not long after coordinating stunts for Wayne's The Train Robbers (1973).
Date of Birth 4 July 1901, near Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota
Date of Death 6 January 1974, Los Angeles, California
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0529036
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5132682
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Filmography (Movies)
Chisum
Character:Wrangler (uncredited)
Release Date:23/07/1970
The Green Berets
Character:Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
Release Date:04/07/1968
The War Wagon
Character:Outrider (uncredited)
Release Date:26/05/1967
Marco the Magnificent
Character:(uncredited)
Release Date:06/08/1965
Genghis Khan
Character:(uncredited)
Release Date:15/04/1965
Major Dundee
Character:Trooper (uncredited)
Release Date:15/03/1965
Two Rode Together
Character:William McCandless (uncredited)
Release Date:24/05/1961
The Alamo
Character:Bowie's Man (uncredited)
Release Date:23/10/1960
Spartacus
Character:Soldier (uncredited)
Release Date:13/10/1960
Sergeant Rutledge
Character:Sam Beecher (uncredited)
Release Date:25/05/1960
Ben-Hur
Character:The Lubian (uncredited)
Release Date:18/11/1959
The Horse Soldiers
Character:Union Sergeant (uncredited)
Release Date:11/06/1959
The Young Land
Character:Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Release Date:01/05/1959
The Young Land
Character:Jury Foreman
Release Date:01/05/1959
Apache Warrior
Character:Trooper (uncredited)
Release Date:01/07/1957
The Abductors
Character:Secret Service Agent
Release Date:01/07/1957
Seven Men from Now
Character:Henchman
Release Date:24/07/1956
The Prodigal
Character:Harun (uncredited)
Release Date:06/05/1955
Bend of the River
Character:Willie
Release Date:23/01/1952
The Red Badge of Courage
Character:Soldier (uncredited)
Release Date:27/09/1951
Rio Grande
Character:Soldier (uncredited)
Release Date:15/11/1950
Wagon Master
Character:Marshal of Crystal City
Release Date:22/04/1950
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Character:Churchgoer (uncredited)
Release Date:17/02/1950
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Character:Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
Release Date:22/10/1949
3 Godfathers
Character:Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
Release Date:31/12/1948
Wagon Tracks West
Character:Henchman Matt
Release Date:18/08/1943
Colt Comrades
Character:Rancher
Release Date:18/06/1943
The Silver Bullet
Character:Stage Driver
Release Date:05/08/1942
The Silver Bullet
Character:Barfly
Release Date:05/08/1942
Winners of the West
Character:Indian / Henchman
Release Date:02/07/1940
Renegade Trail
Character:Henchman
Release Date:25/07/1939
Hollywood Round-Up
Character:Saloon Set Brawler
Release Date:06/11/1937
Black Aces
Character:Rider
Release Date:04/09/1937
North of the Rio Grande
Character:Barfly
Release Date:28/06/1937
Trailin' West
Character:Gambler (uncredited)
Release Date:04/09/1936
The Lawless Nineties
Character:Henchman Davis
Release Date:15/02/1936
The Eagle's Brood
Character:Cowhand
Release Date:25/10/1935
Stormy
Character:Cowhand (uncredited)
Release Date:21/10/1935
The Last Days of Pompeii
Character:Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
Release Date:18/10/1935
The Crimson Trail
Character:Barroom Cowhand
Release Date:11/03/1935
Gordon of Ghost City
Character:Rider
Release Date:13/08/1933
The Devil Horse
Character:Cowhand (uncredited)
Release Date:01/11/1932
The Night Rider
Character:Bert Logan
Release Date:22/08/1932
The Rainbow Trail
Character:Horseman
Release Date:03/01/1932
Riders of the Purple Sage
Character:Jed
Release Date:22/10/1931
Three Rogues
Character:Deputy (uncredited)
Release Date:08/03/1931
The Painted Desert
Character:Rider
Release Date:18/01/1931
Red Fork Range
Character:'Skeeter' Beldon
Release Date:12/01/1931
Under Texas Skies
Character:Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
Release Date:15/11/1930
The Last of the Duanes
Character:Henchman
Release Date:31/08/1930
Canyon Hawks
Character:Tom Hardy
Release Date:25/08/1930
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Character:Henchman
Release Date:08/08/1930
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Character:
Release Date:10/07/1930
Near the Rainbow's End
Character:Lefty - Henchman
Release Date:10/06/1930
The Canyon of Missing Men
Character:Brill Lonegran
Release Date:01/06/1930
Western Honor
Character:
Release Date:15/05/1930
The Cheyenne Kid
Character:Cowhand (uncredited)
Release Date:01/05/1930
The Man from Nowhere
Character:
Release Date:04/04/1930
The Hunted Men
Character:Henchman Red (uncredited)
Release Date:01/04/1930
Call of the Desert
Character:Nate Thomas
Release Date:01/03/1930
Covered Wagon Trails
Character:
Release Date:01/02/1930
Firebrand Jordan
Character:Pete
Release Date:28/01/1930
Breezy Bill
Character:Bandit
Release Date:24/01/1930
O'Malley Rides Alone
Character:Henchman
Release Date:01/01/1930
The Voice from the Sky
Character:Henchman 'Humpy'
Release Date:01/12/1929
Code of the West
Character:Leary Henchman
Release Date:01/11/1929
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Character:Slim Saxon
Release Date:01/10/1929
The Law of the Plains
Character:Henchman
Release Date:19/08/1929
The Fighting Terror
Character:
Release Date:01/08/1929
The Last Roundup
Character:Jimmy Blyth
Release Date:30/06/1929
The Arizona Kid
Character:Red Hank
Release Date:31/03/1929
Bullets and Justice
Character:Red Barton
Release Date:18/02/1929
Headin' Westward
Character:Pat Carle
Release Date:15/02/1929
Manhattan Cowboy
Character:Tex Spaulding
Release Date:01/10/1928
Across the Plains
Character:Chuck Lang
Release Date:26/06/1928
Hell Hounds of the Plains
Character:Henchman (uncredited)
Release Date:07/05/1927
Western Courage
Character:Henchman Cliff
Release Date:11/04/1927
Outlaw's Paradise
Character:Sheriff
Release Date:01/03/1927
Blue Streak O'Neil
Character:
Release Date:15/12/1926
Desert Greed
Character:Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
Release Date:11/12/1926
The Fighting Ranger
Character:
Release Date:15/09/1926
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Character:Charioteer (uncredited)
Release Date:25/12/1925
The Road Agent
Character:
Release Date:30/07/1925
Wild Horse Canyon
Character:Ranch Hand
Release Date:30/05/1925
Television Appearances
Images
