Acting · Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA · Born July 5, 1901
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
MovieChisum
1970
as Wrangler (uncredited)
MovieThe Green Berets
1968
as Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
MovieThe War Wagon
1967
as Outrider (uncredited)
MovieMarco the Magnificent
1965
as (uncredited)
MovieGenghis Khan
1965
as (uncredited)
MovieMajor Dundee
1965
as Trooper (uncredited)
MovieTwo Rode Together
1961
as William McCandless (uncredited)
MovieThe Alamo
1960
as Bowie's Man (uncredited)
MovieSpartacus
1960
as Soldier (uncredited)
MovieSergeant Rutledge
1960
as Sam Beecher (uncredited)
MovieBen-Hur
1959
as The Lubian (uncredited)
MovieThe Horse Soldiers
1959
as Union Sergeant (uncredited)
MovieThe Young Land
1959
as Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
TVWagon Train
1957
as Creel Weatherby
MovieApache Warrior
1957
as Trooper (uncredited)
MovieThe Abductors
1957
as Secret Service Agent
MovieThe Wings of Eagles
1957
as Officer in Brawl (uncredited)
Movie7 Men from Now
1956
as Henchman
MovieThe Prodigal
1955
as Harun (uncredited)
MovieThe Sun Shines Bright
1953
MovieBend of the River
1952
as Willie
MovieThe Red Badge of Courage
1951
as Soldier (uncredited)
MovieRio Grande
1950
as Soldier (uncredited)
MovieWagon Master
1950
as Marshal of Crystal City
MovieWhen Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Churchgoer (uncredited)
MovieShe Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949
as Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
Movie3 Godfathers
1948
as Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
MovieWagon Tracks West
1943
as Henchman Matt
MovieColt Comrades
1943
as Rancher
MovieThe Silver Bullet
1942
as Stage Driver
MovieWinners of the West
1940
as Indian / Henchman
MovieRenegade Trail
1939
as Henchman
MovieHollywood Round-Up
1937
as Saloon Set Brawler
MovieBlack Aces
1937
as Rider
MovieNorth of the Rio Grande
1937
as Barfly
MovieTrailin' West
1936
as Gambler (uncredited)
MovieThe Lawless Nineties
1936
as Henchman Davis
MovieThe Eagle's Brood
1935
as Cowhand
MovieStormy
1935
as Cowhand (uncredited)
MovieThe Last Days of Pompeii
1935
as Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
MovieThe Crimson Trail
1935
as Barroom Cowhand
MovieGordon of Ghost City
1933
as Rider
MovieThe Devil Horse
1932
as Cowhand (uncredited)
MovieThe Night Rider
1932
as Bert Logan
MovieThe Rainbow Trail
1932
as Horseman
MovieRiders of the Purple Sage
1931
as Jed
MovieThree Rogues
1931
as Deputy (uncredited)
MovieThe Painted Desert
1931
as Rider
MovieRed Fork Range
1931
as 'Skeeter' Beldon
MovieUnder Texas Skies
1930
as Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
MovieThe Last of the Duanes
1930
as Henchman
MovieCanyon Hawks
1930
as Tom Hardy
MovieThe Oklahoma Cyclone
1930
as Henchman
MovieThe Lone Rider
1930
as Henchman
MovieThe Oklahoma Sheriff
1930
MovieNear the Rainbow's End
1930
as Lefty - Henchman
MovieThe Canyon of Missing Men
1930
as Brill Lonegran
Western Honor
1930
MovieThe Cheyenne Kid
1930
as Cowhand (uncredited)
The Man from Nowhere
1930
MovieThe Hunted Men
1930
as Henchman Red (uncredited)
MovieCall of the Desert
1930
as Nate Thomas
Covered Wagon Trails
1930
MovieFirebrand Jordan
1930
as Pete
Breezy Bill
1930
as Bandit
MovieO'Malley Rides Alone
1930
as Henchman
MovieThe Voice from the Sky
1929
as Henchman 'Humpy'
MovieCode of the West
1929
as Leary Henchman
MovieThe Cowboy and the Outlaw
1929
as Slim Saxon
MovieThe Law of the Plains
1929
as Henchman
MovieThe Fighting Terror
1929
MovieThe Last Roundup
1929
as Jimmy Blyth
The Arizona Kid
1929
as Red Hank
Bullets and Justice
1929
as Red Barton
MovieHeadin' Westward
1929
as Pat Carle
The Old Code
1928
as Jacques de Long
MovieManhattan Cowboy
1928
as Tex Spaulding
MovieAcross the Plains
1928
as Chuck Lang
MovieHell Hounds of the Plains
1927
as Henchman (uncredited)
Western Courage
1927
as Henchman Cliff
Outlaw's Paradise
1927
as Sheriff
MovieBlue Streak O'Neil
1926
MovieDesert Greed
1926
as Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
The Fighting Ranger
1926
MovieBen-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
1925
as Charioteer (uncredited)
MovieThe Road Agent
1925
MovieWild Horse Canyon
1925
as Ranch Hand
