Acting
Cliff Lyons
EN, FR cinema · 128 credits
Born
5 July 1901
Died
6 January 1974 (aged 72)
Birthplace
Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
Also known as Clifford William Lyons · Tex · Cliff "Tex" 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
Known for
Filmography
The Train Robbers
Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator
Chisum
as Wrangler (uncredited)
The Green Berets
as Hugh Parkinson (uncredited)
The War Wagon
as Outrider (uncredited), Stunts, Second Unit Director
Major Dundee
as Trooper (uncredited), Stunts, Second Unit Director
Genghis Khan
as (uncredited), Second Unit Director
Marco the Magnificent
as (uncredited)
McLintock!
Stunt Coordinator, Technical Advisor
Taras Bulba
Second Unit Director
Two Rode Together
as William McCandless (uncredited), Stunts
Sergeant Rutledge
as Sam Beecher (uncredited), Stunts
Spartacus
as Soldier (uncredited)
The Alamo
as Bowie's Man (uncredited), Second Unit Director, Stunts
The Young Land
as Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited), as Jury Foreman
Ben-Hur
as The Lubian (uncredited)
The Horse Soldiers
as Union Sergeant (uncredited), Stunts
Apache Warrior
as Trooper (uncredited)
The Abductors
as Secret Service Agent
The Wings of Eagles
as Officer in Brawl (uncredited), Stunts
7 Men from Now
as Henchman
The Conqueror
Second Unit Director, Stunts
The Prodigal
as Harun (uncredited), Stunts
Bend of the River
as Willie, Stunts
The Red Badge of Courage
as Soldier (uncredited)
Wagon Master
as Marshal of Crystal City, Stunts, Second Unit Director
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Churchgoer (uncredited)
Rio Grande
as Soldier (uncredited), Second Unit Director, Stunts
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
as Trooper Cliff (uncredited), Second Unit Director, Stunts, Technical Advisor
3 Godfathers
as Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited), Stunts
Fort Apache
Second Unit Director, Stunts
Red River
Stunts
Wagon Tracks West
as Henchman Matt
Colt Comrades
as Rancher
The Silver Bullet
as Barfly, as Stage Driver
They Died with Their Boots On
Stunt Double
Winners of the West
as Indian / Henchman, Stunts
Renegade Trail
as Henchman, Stunts
Dodge City
Stunts
Jesse James
Stunt Double
Hollywood Round-Up
as Saloon Set Brawler
Black Aces
as Rider
North of the Rio Grande
as Barfly, Stunts
The Lawless Nineties
as Henchman Davis
Trailin' West
as Gambler (uncredited)
Stormy
as Cowhand (uncredited)
The Last Days of Pompeii
as Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited)
The Eagle's Brood
as Cowhand
The Crimson Trail
as Barroom Cowhand
In Old Santa Fe
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Love Time
Stunts
Gordon of Ghost City
as Rider
The Night Rider
as Bert Logan
The Rainbow Trail
as Horseman
The Devil Horse
as Cowhand (uncredited), Stunts
Robbers' Roost
Stunt Double
Red Fork Range
as 'Skeeter' Beldon
The Painted Desert
as Rider
Three Rogues
as Deputy (uncredited)
Firebrand Jordan
as Pete
The Canyon of Missing Men
as Brill Lonegran
The Cheyenne Kid
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Under Texas Skies
as Mustang - Henchman (uncredited)
The Hunted Men
as Henchman Red (uncredited)
The Last of the Duanes
as Henchman
Canyon Hawks
as Tom Hardy
The Call of the Desert
as Nate Thomas
Near the Rainbow's End
as Lefty - Henchman
The Oklahoma Cyclone
as Henchman
O'Malley Rides Alone
as Henchman
The Lone Rider
as Henchman
The Law of the Plains
as Henchman
The Last Roundup
as Jimmy Blyth
Code of the West
as Leary Henchman
The Voice from the Sky
as Henchman 'Humpy'
Headin' Westward
as Pat Carle
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
as Slim Saxon
Manhattan Cowboy
as Tex Spaulding
Across the Plains
as Chuck Lang
The Old Code
1928
The Old Code
as Jacques de Long
Hell Hounds of the Plains
as Henchman (uncredited)
Western Courage
1927
Western Courage
as Henchman Cliff
Desert Greed
as Gillis - Henchman (uncredited)
Wild Horse Canyon
as Ranch Hand
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Charioteer (uncredited)