Cliff Lyons
Personal Info
Known For Actor
Gender Male
Birthday 1901-07-05
Deathday 1974-01-06 (72 years old)
Place of Birth Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
Also Known As Clifford William Lyons, Tex, Cliff "Tex" Lyons
Cliff Lyons
Biography
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 For
Actor
as Wrangler (uncredited)
as Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
as Outrider (uncredited)
as (uncredited)
as Trooper (uncredited)
as William McCandless (uncredited)
as Soldier (uncredited)
as Sam Beecher (uncredited)
as The Lubian (uncredited)
as Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
as Jury Foreman
as Trooper (uncredited)
as Secret Service Agent
as Creel Weatherby
as Henchman
as Willie
as Soldier (uncredited)
as Soldier (uncredited)
as Marshal of Crystal City
as Churchgoer (uncredited)
as Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
as Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
as Henchman Matt
as Rancher
as Stage Driver
as Barfly
as Indian / Henchman
as Henchman
as Saloon Set Brawler
as Rider
as Barfly
as Gambler (uncredited)
as Henchman Davis
as Cowhand
as Cowhand (uncredited)
as Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
as Barroom Cowhand
as Rider
as Cowhand (uncredited)
as Bert Logan
as Horseman
as Jed
as Rider
as 'Skeeter' Beldon
as Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
as Henchman
as Tom Hardy
as Henchman
as Lefty - Henchman
as Cowhand (uncredited)
as Henchman Red (uncredited)
as Pete
as Bandit
as Henchman
as Henchman 'Humpy'
as Leary Henchman
as Slim Saxon
as Henchman
as Jimmy Blyth
as Red Hank
as Red Barton
as Pat Carle
as Tex Spaulding
as Chuck Lang
as Henchman (uncredited)
as Sheriff
as Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
as Charioteer (uncredited)
as Ranch Hand
Crew
as Stunt Coordinator
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunt Coordinator
as Technical Advisor
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stand In
as Stunts
as Stunt Double
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunt Double
as Stunts
as Stunts
as Stunts
Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director
as Second Unit Director