0
Cliff Lyons
Born · July 5, 1901
Died · January 6, 1974 (72 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
Bio
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
Chisum
Wrangler (uncredited)
6.7
1970
The Green Berets
Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
5.7
1968
The War Wagon
Outrider (uncredited)
6.8
1967
Genghis Khan
(uncredited)
5.9
1965
Major Dundee
Trooper (uncredited)
6.7
1965
Two Rode Together
William McCandless (uncredited)
6.4
1961
Spartacus
Soldier (uncredited)
7.5
1960
Sergeant Rutledge
Sam Beecher (uncredited)
7.1
1960
Ben-Hur
The Lubian (uncredited)
7.9
1959
The Horse Soldiers
Union Sergeant (uncredited)
7.0
1959
The Young Land
Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
6.4
1959
The Young Land
Jury Foreman
6.4
1959
Wagon Train
Creel Weatherby · (1 episode)
6.3
1957
Apache Warrior
Trooper (uncredited)
4.6
1957
The Abductors
Secret Service Agent
0.0
1957
7 Men from Now
Henchman
6.8
1956
Bend of the River
Willie
6.9
1952
The Red Badge of Courage
Soldier (uncredited)
6.4
1951
Rio Grande
Soldier (uncredited)
6.8
1950
Wagon Master
Marshal of Crystal City
6.7
1950
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Churchgoer (uncredited)
6.8
1950
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
6.9
1949
3 Godfathers
Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
6.8
1948
Wagon Tracks West
Henchman Matt
0.0
1943
Colt Comrades
Rancher
5.6
1943
The Silver Bullet
Stage Driver
4.0
1942
The Silver Bullet
Barfly
4.0
1942
Winners of the West
Indian / Henchman
0.0
1940
Renegade Trail
Henchman
5.0
1939
Hollywood Round-Up
Saloon Set Brawler
4.4
1937
Black Aces
Rider
5.2
1937
North of the Rio Grande
Barfly
6.0
1937
Trailin' West
Gambler (uncredited)
0.0
1936
The Lawless Nineties
Henchman Davis
5.2
1936
The Eagle's Brood
Cowhand
5.0
1935
Stormy
Cowhand (uncredited)
0.0
1935
The Last Days of Pompeii
Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
5.6
1935
The Crimson Trail
Barroom Cowhand
0.0
1935
Gordon of Ghost City
Rider
4.0
1933
The Devil Horse
Cowhand (uncredited)
4.0
1932
The Night Rider
Bert Logan
0.0
1932
The Rainbow Trail
Horseman
0.0
1932
Riders of the Purple Sage
Jed
0.0
1931
The Painted Desert
Rider
5.1
1931
Red Fork Range
'Skeeter' Beldon
0.0
1931
Under Texas Skies
Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
4.0
1930
The Last of the Duanes
Henchman
3.0
1930
Canyon Hawks
Tom Hardy
1.0
1930
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Henchman
4.2
1930
The Oklahoma Sheriff
0.0
1930
Near the Rainbow's End
Lefty - Henchman
1.0
1930
The Canyon of Missing Men
Brill Lonegran
0.0
1930
Western Honor
0.0
1930
The Cheyenne Kid
Cowhand (uncredited)
0.0
1930
The Man from Nowhere
0.0
1930
The Hunted Men
Henchman Red (uncredited)
0.0
1930
Call of the Desert
Nate Thomas
0.0
1930
Covered Wagon Trails
0.0
1930
Firebrand Jordan
Pete
0.0
1930
Breezy Bill
Bandit
0.0
1930
O'Malley Rides Alone
Henchman
0.0
1930
The Voice from the Sky
Henchman 'Humpy'
0.0
1929
Code of the West
Leary Henchman
0.0
1929
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Slim Saxon
0.0
1929
Law of the Plains
Henchman
0.0
1929
The Fighting Terror
0.0
1929
The Last Roundup
Jimmy Blyth
0.0
1929
The Arizona Kid
Red Hank
0.0
1929
Bullets and Justice
Red Barton
0.0
1929
Headin' Westward
Pat Carle
0.0
1929
Manhattan Cowboy
Tex Spaulding
0.0
1928
Across the Plains
Chuck Lang
0.0
1928
Hell Hounds of the Plains
Henchman (uncredited)
0.0
1927
Outlaw's Paradise
Sheriff
0.0
1927
Blue Streak O'Neil
0.0
1926
Desert Greed
Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
0.0
1926
The Fighting Ranger
0.0
1926
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Charioteer (uncredited)
7.3
1925
The Road Agent
0.0
1925
Wild Horse Canyon
Ranch Hand
0.0
1925