Cliff Lyons
Known for: Acting
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
Filmography
Series
Wagon Train
Creel Weatherby
1957
Film
Ben-Hur
The Lubian (uncredited)
1959
Film
Spartacus
Soldier (uncredited)
1960
Film
Chisum
Wrangler (uncredited)
1970
Film
The Alamo
Bowie's Man (uncredited)
1960
Film
Rio Grande
Soldier (uncredited)
1950
Film
3 Godfathers
Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
1948
Film
The Green Berets
Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
1968
Film
The War Wagon
Outrider (uncredited)
1967
Film
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
1949
Film
The Horse Soldiers
Union Sergeant (uncredited)
1959
Film
Major Dundee
Trooper (uncredited)
1965
Film
Genghis Khan
(uncredited)
1965
Film
Wagon Master
Marshal of Crystal City
1950
Film
Bend of the River
Willie
1952
Film
Two Rode Together
William McCandless (uncredited)
1961
Film
The Wings of Eagles
Officer in Brawl (uncredited)
1957
Film
7 Men from Now
Henchman
1956
Film
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Charioteer (uncredited)
1925
Film
Sergeant Rutledge
Sam Beecher (uncredited)
1960
Film
The Sun Shines Bright
1953
Film
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Churchgoer (uncredited)
1950
Film
The Red Badge of Courage
Soldier (uncredited)
1951
Film
The Silver Bullet
Stage Driver
1942
Film
The Silver Bullet
Barfly
1942
Film
Marco the Magnificent
(uncredited)
1965
Film
Desert Greed
Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
1926
Film
The Prodigal
Harun (uncredited)
1955
Film
The Last Days of Pompeii
Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
1935
Film
The Night Rider
Bert Logan
1932
Western Courage
Henchman Cliff
1927
Film
Hell Hounds of the Plains
Henchman (uncredited)
1927
Film
North of the Rio Grande
Barfly
1937
Film
The Crimson Trail
Barroom Cowhand
1935
Film
The Young Land
Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
1959
Film
The Young Land
Jury Foreman
1959
The Arizona Kid
Red Hank
1929
The Old Code
Jacques de Long
1928
Film
Hollywood Round-Up
Saloon Set Brawler
1937
Film
The Eagle's Brood
Cowhand
1935
Film
Trailin' West
Gambler (uncredited)
1936
Film
The Painted Desert
Rider
1931
Film
Colt Comrades
Rancher
1943
Film
Wagon Tracks West
Henchman Matt
1943
Film
The Lawless Nineties
Henchman Davis
1936
Film
Wild Horse Canyon
Ranch Hand
1925
Film
Call of the Desert
Nate Thomas
1930
Film
Gordon of Ghost City
Rider
1933
Film
The Rainbow Trail
Horseman
1932
Film
Apache Warrior
Trooper (uncredited)
1957
Film
Winners of the West
Indian / Henchman
1940
Film
The Last of the Duanes
Henchman
1930
Film
Renegade Trail
Henchman
1939
Film
The Devil Horse
Cowhand (uncredited)
1932
Covered Wagon Trails
1930
Film
The Hunted Men
Henchman Red (uncredited)
1930
Film
Three Rogues
Deputy (uncredited)
1931
Bullets and Justice
Red Barton
1929
Film
Canyon Hawks
Tom Hardy
1930
Film
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Henchman
1930
Film
The Law of the Plains
Henchman
1929
Film
Near the Rainbow's End
Lefty - Henchman
1930
Film
Under Texas Skies
Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
1930
Film
The Abductors
Secret Service Agent
1957
Film
Black Aces
Rider
1937
Film
Red Fork Range
'Skeeter' Beldon
1931
The Man from Nowhere
1930
Film
Riders of the Purple Sage
Jed
1931
Film
Stormy
Cowhand (uncredited)
1935
Film
The Oklahoma Sheriff
1930
Film
Headin' Westward
Pat Carle
1929
The Fighting Ranger
1926
Film
Firebrand Jordan
Pete
1930
Film
The Canyon of Missing Men
Brill Lonegran
1930
Film
The Lone Rider
Henchman
1930
Film
Across the Plains
Chuck Lang
1928
Film
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Slim Saxon
1929
Film
Blue Streak O'Neil
1926
Film
O'Malley Rides Alone
Henchman
1930
Western Honor
1930
Film
Manhattan Cowboy
Tex Spaulding
1928
Film
The Cheyenne Kid
Cowhand (uncredited)
1930
Film
The Fighting Terror
1929
Film
The Road Agent
1925
Film
Code of the West
Leary Henchman
1929
Breezy Bill
Bandit
1930
Outlaw's Paradise
Sheriff
1927
Film
The Last Roundup
Jimmy Blyth
1929
Film
The Voice from the Sky
Henchman 'Humpy'
1929