Cliff 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

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: July 05, 1901

Deathday: January 06, 1974

Popularity:

2.394

Known For

Covered Wagon Trails
Covered Wagon Trails

1930-02-01

Firebrand Jordan
Firebrand Jordan

1930-01-28

The Canyon of Missing Men
The Canyon of Missing Men

1930-06-01

The Cheyenne Kid
The Cheyenne Kid

1930-05-01

Stormy
Stormy

1935-10-21

7 Men from Now
7 Men from Now

1956-07-24

Desert Greed
Desert Greed

1926-12-11

The Arizona Kid
The Arizona Kid

1929-03-31

Under Texas Skies
Under Texas Skies

1930-11-15

Western Honor
Western Honor

1930-05-15

The Oklahoma Sheriff
The Oklahoma Sheriff

1930-07-10

The Hunted Men
The Hunted Men

1930-04-01

Breezy Bill
Breezy Bill

1930-01-24

The Man from Nowhere
The Man from Nowhere

1930-04-04

Law of the Plains
Law of the Plains

1929-08-19

Wagon Master
Wagon Master

1950-04-22

Bullets and Justice
Bullets and Justice

1929-02-18

Manhattan Cowboy
Manhattan Cowboy

1928-10-01

Hell Hounds of the Plains
Hell Hounds of the Plains

1927-05-07

The Young Land
The Young Land

1959-05-01

The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii

1935-10-18

Apache Warrior
Apache Warrior

1957-07-01

The Lawless Nineties
The Lawless Nineties

1936-02-15

The Green Berets
The Green Berets

1968-07-04

Major Dundee
Major Dundee

1965-03-15

The Night Rider
The Night Rider

1932-08-22

Red Fork Range
Red Fork Range

1931-01-12

The Painted Desert
The Painted Desert

1931-01-18

The Rainbow Trail
The Rainbow Trail

1932-01-03

The Last of the Duanes
The Last of the Duanes

1930-08-31

Chisum
Chisum

1970-07-23

Blue Streak O'Neil
Blue Streak O'Neil

1926-12-15

Canyon Hawks
Canyon Hawks

1930-08-25

The Last Roundup
The Last Roundup

1929-06-30

Code of the West
Code of the West

1929-11-01

Hollywood Round-Up
Hollywood Round-Up

1937-11-06

Sergeant Rutledge
Sergeant Rutledge

1960-05-25

The Young Land
The Young Land

1959-05-01

Gordon of Ghost City
Gordon of Ghost City

1933-08-13

Bend of the River
Bend of the River

1952-01-23

When Willie Comes Marching Home
When Willie Comes Marching Home

1950-02-17

Wagon Tracks West
Wagon Tracks West

1943-08-18

Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur

1959-11-18

Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage

1931-10-22

Spartacus
Spartacus

1960-10-13

Black Aces
Black Aces

1937-09-04

The Voice from the Sky
The Voice from the Sky

1929-12-01

Renegade Trail
Renegade Trail

1939-07-25

The Eagle's Brood
The Eagle's Brood

1935-10-25

Call of the Desert
Call of the Desert

1930-03-01

North of the Rio Grande
North of the Rio Grande

1937-06-28

The Devil Horse
The Devil Horse

1932-11-01

Wild Horse Canyon
Wild Horse Canyon

1925-05-30

The Road Agent
The Road Agent

1925-07-30

Winners of the West
Winners of the West

1940-07-02

Across the Plains
Across the Plains

1928-06-26

Rio Grande
Rio Grande

1950-11-15

The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage

1951-09-27

Trailin' West
Trailin' West

1936-09-04

Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan

1965-04-15

Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together

1961-05-24

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

1949-10-22

Headin' Westward
Headin' Westward

1929-02-15

The Crimson Trail
The Crimson Trail

1935-03-11

3 Godfathers
3 Godfathers

1948-12-31

The War Wagon
The War Wagon

1967-05-26

The Silver Bullet
The Silver Bullet

1942-08-05

The Silver Bullet
The Silver Bullet

1942-08-05

Colt Comrades
Colt Comrades

1943-06-18

Near the Rainbow's End
Near the Rainbow's End

1930-06-10

The Cowboy and the Outlaw
The Cowboy and the Outlaw

1929-10-01

The Fighting Terror
The Fighting Terror

1929-08-01

The Fighting Ranger
The Fighting Ranger

1926-09-15

The Abductors
The Abductors

1957-07-01

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

1925-12-25

The Oklahoma Cyclone
The Oklahoma Cyclone

1930-08-08

Outlaw's Paradise
Outlaw's Paradise

1927-03-01

O'Malley Rides Alone
O'Malley Rides Alone

1930-01-01

The Horse Soldiers
The Horse Soldiers

1959-06-11