
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
- Known ForActing
- Born5 July 1901 (age 124)
- Place of BirthClarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
Cliff Lyons

- Known ForActing
- Born5 July 1901 (age 124)
- Place of BirthClarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA

Chisum
1970

The Green Berets
1968

The War Wagon
1967

Major Dundee
1965

Genghis Khan
1965

Two Rode Together
1961

Sergeant Rutledge
1960

Spartacus
1960

The Young Land
1959

Ben-Hur
1959

The Horse Soldiers
1959

Apache Warrior
1957

The Abductors
1957

Seven Men from Now
1956

Bend of the River
1952

The Red Badge of Courage
1951

Wagon Master
1950

When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950

Rio Grande
1950

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949

3 Godfathers
1948

Wagon Tracks West
1943

Colt Comrades
1943

The Silver Bullet
1942

Winners of the West
1940

Renegade Trail
1939

Hollywood Round-Up
1937

Black Aces
1937

North of the Rio Grande
1937

The Lawless Nineties
1936

Trailin' West
1936

Stormy
1935

The Last Days of Pompeii
1935

The Eagle's Brood
1935

The Crimson Trail
1935

Gordon of Ghost City
1933

The Night Rider
1932

The Rainbow Trail
1932

The Devil Horse
1932

Red Fork Range
1931

The Painted Desert
1931

Riders of the Purple Sage
1931
Covered Wagon Trails
1930

Firebrand Jordan
1930
The Canyon of Missing Men
1930

The Cheyenne Kid
1930

Under Texas Skies
1930

The Oklahoma Sheriff
1930

The Hunted Men
1930
Breezy Bill
1930
Western Honor
1930
The Man from Nowhere
1930

The Last of the Duanes
1930

Canyon Hawks
1930
Call of the Desert
1930

Near the Rainbow's End
1930

The Oklahoma Cyclone
1930

O'Malley Rides Alone
1930
The Arizona Kid
1929

Law of the Plains
1929
Bullets and Justice
1929

The Last Roundup
1929

Code of the West
1929

The Voice from the Sky
1929

Headin' Westward
1929

The Cowboy and the Outlaw
1929

The Fighting Terror
1929

Manhattan Cowboy
1928

Across the Plains
1928

Hell Hounds of the Plains
1927
Outlaw's Paradise
1927
Western Courage
1927

Desert Greed
1926

Blue Streak O'Neil
1926
The Fighting Ranger
1926

Wild Horse Canyon
1925

The Road Agent
1925
