Acting
Cliff Lyons
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
Chisum
Film · 1970
The Green Berets
Film · 1968
The War Wagon
Film · 1967
Major Dundee
Film · 1965
Genghis Khan
Film · 1965
Marco the Magnificent
Film · 1965
Two Rode Together
Film · 1961
Sergeant Rutledge
Film · 1960
Spartacus
Film · 1960
The Alamo
Film · 1960
The Young Land
Film · 1959
The Young Land
Film · 1959
Ben-Hur
Film · 1959
The Horse Soldiers
Film · 1959
Apache Warrior
Film · 1957
The Abductors
Film · 1957
The Wings of Eagles
Film · 1957
Wagon Train
Series · 1957
7 Men from Now
Film · 1956
The Prodigal
Film · 1955
The Sun Shines Bright
Film · 1953
Bend of the River
Film · 1952
The Red Badge of Courage
Film · 1951
Wagon Master
Film · 1950
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Film · 1950
Rio Grande
Film · 1950
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Film · 1949
3 Godfathers
Film · 1948
Wagon Tracks West
Film · 1943
Colt Comrades
Film · 1943
The Silver Bullet
Film · 1942
The Silver Bullet
Film · 1942
Winners of the West
Film · 1940
Renegade Trail
Film · 1939
Hollywood Round-Up
Film · 1937
Black Aces
Film · 1937
North of the Rio Grande
Film · 1937
The Lawless Nineties
Film · 1936
Trailin' West
Film · 1936
Stormy
Film · 1935
The Last Days of Pompeii
Film · 1935
The Eagle's Brood
Film · 1935
The Crimson Trail
Film · 1935
In Old Santa Fe
Film · 1934
Gordon of Ghost City
Film · 1933
The Night Rider
Film · 1932
The Rainbow Trail
Film · 1932
The Devil Horse
Film · 1932
Red Fork Range
Film · 1931
The Painted Desert
Film · 1931
Riders of the Purple Sage
Film · 1931
Three Rogues
Film · 1931
Covered Wagon Trails
Film · 1930
Firebrand Jordan
Film · 1930
The Canyon of Missing Men
Film · 1930
The Cheyenne Kid
Film · 1930
Under Texas Skies
Film · 1930
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Film · 1930
The Hunted Men
Film · 1930
Breezy Bill
Film · 1930
Western Honor
Film · 1930
The Man from Nowhere
Film · 1930
The Last of the Duanes
Film · 1930
Canyon Hawks
Film · 1930
The Call of the Desert
Film · 1930
Near the Rainbow's End
Film · 1930
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Film · 1930
O'Malley Rides Alone
Film · 1930
The Lone Rider
Film · 1930
The Arizona Kid
Film · 1929
The Law of the Plains
Film · 1929
Bullets and Justice
Film · 1929
The Last Roundup
Film · 1929
Code of the West
Film · 1929
The Voice from the Sky
Film · 1929
Headin' Westward
Film · 1929
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Film · 1929
The Fighting Terror
Film · 1929
Manhattan Cowboy
Film · 1928
Across the Plains
Film · 1928
The Old Code
Film · 1928
Hell Hounds of the Plains
Film · 1927
Outlaw's Paradise
Film · 1927
Western Courage
Film · 1927
Desert Greed
Film · 1926
Blue Streak O'Neil
Film · 1926
The Fighting Ranger
Film · 1926
Wild Horse Canyon
Film · 1925
The Road Agent
Film · 1925
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Film · 1925