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
Filmography
all 108
Movies 107
Director 5
TV Shows 1
![The Train Robbers](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/13351-the-train-robbers.jpg)
The Train Robbers (1973)
![Chisum](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/5863-chisum.jpg)
Chisum (1970)
![The Green Berets](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/50442-the-green-berets.jpg)
The Green Berets (1968)
![The War Wagon](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/13352-the-war-wagon.jpg)
The War Wagon (1967)
![Genghis Khan](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/51280-genghis-khan.jpg)
Genghis Khan (1965)
![Major Dundee](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/45320-major-dundee.jpg)
Major Dundee (1965)
![McLintock!](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/13349-mclintock.jpg)
McLintock! (1963)
![Taras Bulba](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/60260-taras-bulba.jpg)
Taras Bulba (1962)
![Spartacus](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/6303-spartacus.jpg)
Spartacus (1960)
![Sergeant Rutledge](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/11978-sergeant-rutledge.jpg)
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
![Ben-Hur](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/5884-ben-hur.jpg)
Ben-Hur (1959)
![The Young Land](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/41139-the-young-land.jpg)
The Young Land (1959)
![Wagon Train](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/138965-wagon-train.jpg)
Wagon Train (1957)
![Apache Warrior](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/138972-apache-warrior.jpg)
Apache Warrior (1957)
![The Abductors](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/97913-the-abductors.jpg)
The Abductors (1957)
![7 Men from Now](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/59958-7-men-from-now.jpg)
7 Men from Now (1956)
![The Conqueror](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/38613-the-conqueror.jpg)
The Conqueror (1956)
![Bend of the River](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/49822-bend-of-the-river.jpg)
Bend of the River (1952)
![Wagon Master](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/11784-wagon-master.jpg)
Wagon Master (1950)
![She Wore a Yellow Ribbon](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/8638-she-wore-a-yellow-ribbon.jpg)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
![3 Godfathers](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/11974-3-godfathers.jpg)
3 Godfathers (1948)
![Red River](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/10546-red-river.jpg)
Red River (1948)
![Wagon Tracks West](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/83158-wagon-tracks-west.jpg)
Wagon Tracks West (1943)
![Colt Comrades](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/5041-colt-comrades.jpg)
Colt Comrades (1943)
![The Silver Bullet](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/95818-the-silver-bullet.jpg)
The Silver Bullet (1942)
![They Died with Their Boots On](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/14491-they-died-with-their-boots-on.jpg)
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
![Winners of the West](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/135696-winners-of-the-west.jpg)
Winners of the West (1940)
![Renegade Trail](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/83167-renegade-trail.jpg)
Renegade Trail (1939)
![Dodge City](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/74201-dodge-city.jpg)
Dodge City (1939)
![Hollywood Round-Up](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/126702-hollywood-round-up.jpg)
Hollywood Round-Up (1937)
![North of the Rio Grande](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/75370-north-of-the-rio-grande.jpg)
North of the Rio Grande (1937)
![Trailin' West](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/77361-trailin-west.jpg)
Trailin' West (1936)
![The Lawless Nineties](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/71081-the-lawless-nineties.jpg)
The Lawless Nineties (1936)
![Stormy](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/644893-stormy.jpg)
Stormy (1935)
![The Last Days of Pompeii](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/75317-the-last-days-of-pompeii.jpg)
The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)
![The Crimson Trail](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/74819-the-crimson-trail.jpg)
The Crimson Trail (1935)
![Love Time](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/917325-love-time.jpg)
Love Time (1934)
![Robbers' Roost](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/64249-robbers-roost.jpg)
Robbers' Roost (1932)
![The Devil Horse](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/109098-the-devil-horse.jpg)
The Devil Horse (1932)
![The Night Rider](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/133544-the-night-rider.jpg)
The Night Rider (1932)
![The Rainbow Trail](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/475922-the-rainbow-trail.jpg)
The Rainbow Trail (1932)
![Red Fork Range](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/723963-red-fork-range.jpg)
Red Fork Range (1931)
![Under Texas Skies](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/504435-under-texas-skies.jpg)
Under Texas Skies (1930)
![Canyon Hawks](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/133075-canyon-hawks.jpg)
Canyon Hawks (1930)
![Near the Rainbow's End](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/133149-near-the-rainbow-s-end.jpg)
Near the Rainbow's End (1930)
![The Cheyenne Kid](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/871234-the-cheyenne-kid.jpg)
The Cheyenne Kid (1930)
![The Hunted Men](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/679075-the-hunted-men.jpg)
The Hunted Men (1930)
![Call of the Desert](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
Call of the Desert (1930)
![Covered Wagon Trails](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
Covered Wagon Trails (1930)
![Breezy Bill](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
Breezy Bill (1930)
![O'Malley Rides Alone](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/546057-o-malley-rides-alone.jpg)
O'Malley Rides Alone (1930)
![A Texas Cowboy](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/679198-a-texas-cowboy.jpg)
A Texas Cowboy (1929)
![The Voice from the Sky](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/859003-the-voice-from-the-sky.jpg)
The Voice from the Sky (1929)
![Code of the West](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/165752-code-of-the-west.jpg)
Code of the West (1929)
![The Cowboy and the Outlaw](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/279063-the-cowboy-and-the-outlaw.jpg)
The Cowboy and the Outlaw (1929)
![Law of the Plains](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/671505-law-of-the-plains.jpg)
Law of the Plains (1929)
![The Last Roundup](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/279066-the-last-roundup.jpg)
The Last Roundup (1929)
![The Arizona Kid](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
The Arizona Kid (1929)
![Bullets and Justice](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
Bullets and Justice (1929)
![Headin' Westward](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/625836-headin-westward.jpg)
Headin' Westward (1929)
![Manhattan Cowboy](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/165750-manhattan-cowboy.jpg)
Manhattan Cowboy (1928)
![Across the Plains](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/132726-across-the-plains.jpg)
Across the Plains (1928)
![Outlaw's Paradise](https://images.moviefit.me/default-images/t/o.jpg)
Outlaw's Paradise (1927)
![Desert Greed](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/654534-desert-greed.jpg)
Desert Greed (1926)
![Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/8567-ben-hur-a-tale-of-the-christ.jpg)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
![Wild Horse Canyon](https://images.moviefit.me/t/o/132415-wild-horse-canyon.jpg)
Wild Horse Canyon (1925)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1901-07-05
Deathday1974-01-06 (72 years old)
Birth PlaceLake County, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsClifford William Lyons, Tex, Cliff "Tex" Lyons
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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