Cliff Lyons
Actor
Born July 5, 1901 in Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
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
Filmography
The Train Robbers
Chisum
Wrangler (uncredited)
The Green Berets
Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
The War Wagon
Outrider (uncredited)
Marco the Magnificent
(uncredited)
Genghis Khan
(uncredited)
Major Dundee
Trooper (uncredited)
Cheyenne Autumn
McLintock!
Taras Bulba
How the West Was Won
Two Rode Together
William McCandless (uncredited)
The Alamo
Bowie's Man (uncredited)
Spartacus
Soldier (uncredited)
Sergeant Rutledge
Sam Beecher (uncredited)
Ben-Hur
The Lubian (uncredited)
The Horse Soldiers
Union Sergeant (uncredited)
The Young Land
Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
The Missouri Traveler
Wagon Train
Creel Weatherby
Apache Warrior
Trooper (uncredited)
The Abductors
Secret Service Agent
The Wings of Eagles
Officer in Brawl (uncredited)
7 Men from Now
Henchman
The Searchers
The Conqueror
The Prodigal
Harun (uncredited)
Bend of the River
Willie
The Red Badge of Courage
Soldier (uncredited)
Rio Grande
Soldier (uncredited)
Wagon Master
Marshal of Crystal City
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Churchgoer (uncredited)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
3 Godfathers
Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
Red River
Fort Apache
The Phantom Rider
The Purple Monster Strikes
Death Valley Manhunt
Wagon Tracks West
Henchman Matt
Colt Comrades
Rancher
The Old Chisholm Trail
The Silver Bullet
Stage Driver
They Died with Their Boots On
How Green Was My Valley
Riders of Death Valley
Winners of the West
Indian / Henchman
The Man from Tumbleweeds
The Light That Failed
Destry Rides Again
Renegade Trail
Henchman
Three Texas Steers
Dodge City
Cassidy of Bar 20
Hollywood Round-Up
Saloon Set Brawler
Black Aces
Rider
North of the Rio Grande
Barfly
Trailin' West
Gambler (uncredited)
The Phantom Rider
Three on the Trail
Three Godfathers
The Lawless Nineties
Henchman Davis
The Singing Vagabond
Bar 20 Rides Again
The Eagle's Brood
Cowhand
Stormy
Cowhand (uncredited)
The Last Days of Pompeii
Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
The Miracle Rider
The Crimson Trail
Barroom Cowhand
Love Time
The Red Rider
Gordon of Ghost City
Rider
Robbers' Roost
The Devil Horse
Cowhand (uncredited)
The Night Rider
Bert Logan
The Texas Bad Man
Mystery Ranch
The Rainbow Trail
Horseman
Riders of the Purple Sage
Jed
The Vanishing Legion
Three Rogues
Deputy (uncredited)
The Painted Desert
Rider
Red Fork Range
'Skeeter' Beldon
Fighting Thru
Under Texas Skies
Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
The Last of the Duanes
Henchman
Canyon Hawks
Tom Hardy
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Henchman
The Lone Rider
Henchman
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Near the Rainbow's End
Lefty - Henchman
The Canyon of Missing Men
Brill Lonegran
The Cheyenne Kid
Cowhand (uncredited)
The Hunted Men
Henchman Red (uncredited)
Call of the Desert
Nate Thomas
Firebrand Jordan
Pete
O'Malley Rides Alone
Henchman
The Voice from the Sky
Henchman 'Humpy'
Code of the West
Leary Henchman
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Slim Saxon
The Law of the Plains
Henchman
The Fighting Terror
The Last Roundup
Jimmy Blyth
Headin' Westward
Pat Carle
The Phantom City
Manhattan Cowboy
Tex Spaulding
Across the Plains
Chuck Lang
Hell Hounds of the Plains
Henchman (uncredited)
Somewhere in Sonora
Blue Streak O'Neil
Desert Greed
Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
The Border Sheriff
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Charioteer (uncredited)
The Road Agent
Wild Horse Canyon
Ranch Hand