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
Covered Wagon Trails
Firebrand Jordan
(Pete)
The Canyon of Missing Men
The Cheyenne Kid
(Cowhand (uncredited))
Stormy
(Cowhand (uncredited))
7 Men from Now
(Henchman)
Desert Greed
(Gillis - Henchman (uncredited))
The Arizona Kid
(Red Hank)
Under Texas Skies
(Mustang - Henchman (uncredited))
The Oklahoma Sheriff
The Hunted Men
(Henchman Red (uncredited))
Breezy Bill
(Bandit)
Western Honor
The Man from Nowhere
Law of the Plains
(Henchman)
Wagon Master
(Marshal of Crystal City)
Bullets and Justice
(Red Barton)
Manhattan Cowboy
(Tex Spaulding)
Hell Hounds of the Plains
(Henchman (uncredited))
The Young Land
(Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited))
The Last Days of Pompeii
(Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited))
Apache Warrior
(Trooper (uncredited))
The Lawless Nineties
(Henchman Davis)
The Green Berets
(Hugh Parkinson (uncredited))
Major Dundee
(Trooper (uncredited))
The Night Rider
(Bert Logan)
Red Fork Range
('Skeeter' Beldon)
The Painted Desert
(Rider)
The Rainbow Trail
(Horseman)
The Last of the Duanes
(Henchman)
Chisum
(Wrangler (uncredited))
Blue Streak O'Neil
Canyon Hawks
(Tom Hardy)
The Last Roundup
(Jimmy Blyth)
Code of the West
(Leary Henchman)
Hollywood Round-Up
(Saloon Set Brawler)
Sergeant Rutledge
(Sam Beecher (uncredited))
The Young Land
(Jury Foreman)
Gordon of Ghost City
(Rider)
Bend of the River
(Willie)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
(Churchgoer (uncredited))
Wagon Tracks West
(Henchman Matt)
Ben-Hur
(The Lubian (uncredited))
Riders of the Purple Sage
(Jed)
Spartacus
(Soldier (uncredited))
Black Aces
(Rider)
The Voice from the Sky
(Henchman 'Humpy')
Renegade Trail
(Henchman)
The Eagle's Brood
(Cowhand)
Call of the Desert
North of the Rio Grande
(Barfly)
The Devil Horse
(Cowhand (uncredited))
Wild Horse Canyon
(Ranch Hand)
The Road Agent
Winners of the West
(Indian / Henchman)
Across the Plains
(Chuck Lang)
Rio Grande
(Soldier (uncredited))
The Red Badge of Courage
(Soldier (uncredited))
Trailin' West
(Gambler (uncredited))
Genghis Khan
((uncredited))
Two Rode Together
(William McCandless (uncredited))
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(Trooper Cliff (uncredited))
Headin' Westward
(Pat Carle)
The Crimson Trail
(Barroom Cowhand)
3 Godfathers
(Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited))
The War Wagon
(Outrider (uncredited))
The Silver Bullet
(Barfly)
The Silver Bullet
(Stage Driver)
Colt Comrades
(Rancher)
Near the Rainbow's End
(Lefty - Henchman)
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
(Slim Saxon)
The Fighting Terror
The Fighting Ranger
The Abductors
(Secret Service Agent)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
(Charioteer (uncredited))
The Oklahoma Cyclone
(Henchman)
Outlaw's Paradise
(Sheriff)
O'Malley Rides Alone
(Henchman)
Wagon Train
(Creel Weatherby)
Genghis Khan
(Second Unit Director)
Bend of the River
(Stunts)
Three Texas Steers
(Stunts)
The Vanishing Legion
(Stunts)
The Miracle Rider
(Stunts)
Winners of the West
(Stunts)
The Purple Monster Strikes
(Stunts)
The Phantom Rider
(Stunts)
The Man from Tumbleweeds
(Stunts)
The Phantom Rider
(Stunts)
Major Dundee
(Stunts)
Major Dundee
(Second Unit Director)
The Border Sheriff
(Stunts)
Death Valley Manhunt
(Stunts)
Three Godfathers
(Stunts)
The Missouri Traveler
(Stunts)
Riders of Death Valley
(Stunts)
Renegade Trail
(Stunts)
Fighting Thru
(Stunts)
The Devil Horse
(Stunts)
The Red Rider
(Stunts)
North of the Rio Grande
(Stunts)
Cassidy of Bar 20
(Stunts)
Three on the Trail
(Stunts)
The Singing Vagabond
(Stunts)
Bar 20 Rides Again
(Stunts)
The Train Robbers
(Second Unit Director)
The Train Robbers
(Stunt Coordinator)
Dodge City
(Stunts)
Mystery Ranch
(Stunts)
The Conqueror
(Second Unit Director)
They Died with Their Boots On
(Stunt Double)
Sergeant Rutledge
(Stunts)
The Old Chisholm Trail
(Stand In)
3 Godfathers
(Stunts)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(Second Unit Director)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(Stunts)
The War Wagon
(Stunts)
Wagon Master
(Stunts)
Wagon Master
(Second Unit Director)
McLintock!
(Stunt Coordinator)
Cheyenne Autumn
(Stunts)
Fort Apache
(Second Unit Director)
Fort Apache
(Stunts)
The Searchers
(Stunts)
How Green Was My Valley
(Stunts)
How the West Was Won
(Stunts)
Love Time
(Stunts)
Rio Grande
(Second Unit Director)
Rio Grande
(Stunts)
Two Rode Together
(Stunts)
Red River
(Stunts)
Destry Rides Again
(Stunts)
The Light That Failed
(Stunts)
Taras Bulba
(Second Unit Director)
Robbers' Roost
(Stunt Double)
McLintock!
(Technical Advisor)