Cast
Cliff Lyons
Acting
Cast
Cliff Lyons
Known for
Acting
Born
1901-07-05
From
Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
Died
1974-01-06
Also known as Clifford William Lyons, Tex, Cliff "Tex" 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
Ben-Hur
as The Lubian (uncredited)
Spartacus
as Soldier (uncredited)
Chisum
as Wrangler (uncredited)
The Green Berets
as Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
The Alamo
as Bowie's Man (uncredited)
Rio Grande
as Soldier (uncredited)
The Horse Soldiers
as Union Sergeant (uncredited)
3 Godfathers
as Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
The War Wagon
as Outrider (uncredited)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
as Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
Bend of the River
as Willie
Manhattan Cowboy
as Tex Spaulding
Two Rode Together
as William McCandless (uncredited)
Genghis Khan
as (uncredited)
Canyon Hawks
as Tom Hardy
Major Dundee
as Trooper (uncredited)
7 Men from Now
as Henchman
Wagon Master
as Marshal of Crystal City
The Last Days of Pompeii
as Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
The Red Badge of Courage
as Soldier (uncredited)
Sergeant Rutledge
as Sam Beecher (uncredited)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Charioteer (uncredited)
The Lawless Nineties
as Henchman Davis
The Prodigal
as Harun (uncredited)
Marco the Magnificent
as (uncredited)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Churchgoer (uncredited)
The Young Land
as Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited)
The Young Land
as Jury Foreman
Colt Comrades
as Rancher
Under Texas Skies
as Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
The Painted Desert
as Rider
Winners of the West
as Indian / Henchman
Apache Warrior
as Trooper (uncredited)
The Abductors
as Secret Service Agent
The Eagle's Brood
as Cowhand
The Devil Horse
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Stormy
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Breezy Bill
as Bandit
The Crimson Trail
as Barroom Cowhand
Hollywood Round-Up
as Saloon Set Brawler
Black Aces
as Rider
Headin' Westward
as Pat Carle
The Silver Bullet
as Stage Driver
The Silver Bullet
as Barfly
The Night Rider
as Bert Logan
Gordon of Ghost City
as Rider
The Old Code
as Jacques de Long
Three Rogues
as Deputy (uncredited)
The Hunted Men
as Henchman Red (uncredited)
Renegade Trail
as Henchman
Riders of the Purple Sage
as Jed
Western Honor
Trailin' West
as Gambler (uncredited)
Firebrand Jordan
as Pete
The Rainbow Trail
as Horseman
Wagon Tracks West
as Henchman Matt
Desert Greed
as Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
North of the Rio Grande
as Barfly
Red Fork Range
as 'Skeeter' Beldon
Outlaw's Paradise
as Sheriff
The Last of the Duanes
as Henchman
The Lone Rider
as Henchman
The Voice from the Sky
as Henchman 'Humpy'
The Last Roundup
as Jimmy Blyth
Near the Rainbow's End
as Lefty - Henchman
Wild Horse Canyon
as Ranch Hand
The Fighting Terror
The Canyon of Missing Men
as Brill Lonegran
The Oklahoma Cyclone
as Henchman
The Road Agent
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Hell Hounds of the Plains
as Henchman (uncredited)
The Man from Nowhere
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
as Slim Saxon
Bullets and Justice
as Red Barton
Western Courage
as Henchman Cliff
Covered Wagon Trails
The Fighting Ranger
The Law of the Plains
as Henchman
Blue Streak O'Neil
O'Malley Rides Alone
as Henchman
Call of the Desert
as Nate Thomas
The Arizona Kid
as Red Hank
Code of the West
as Leary Henchman
The Cheyenne Kid
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Across the Plains
as Chuck Lang