CL
Cliff Lyons
Actor, Additional Credits
Born July 5, 1901Died January 6, 1974 (72 years)
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
Date of Birth 4 July 1901, near Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota
Date of Death 6 January 1974, Los Angeles, California
Movies & Shows on Plex
Filmography
| 1970 | Chisum · as Wrangler (uncredited) |
| 1968 | The Green Berets · as Hugh Parkinson (uncredited) |
| 1967 | The War Wagon · as Outrider (uncredited) |
| 1965 | Marco the Magnificent · as Cast |
| 1965 | Genghis Khan · as (uncredited) |
| 1965 | Major Dundee · as Trooper (uncredited) |
| 1964 | The Long Ships · as Cast |
| 1963 | McLintock! · as Brawler |
| 1963 | Donovan's Reef · as Australian Navy Officer |
| 1962 | Taras Bulba · as Carriage Driver |
| 1961 | The Comancheros · as Minor Role |
| 1961 | Two Rode Together · as William Mccandless (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Gun Fight · as Stage Driver |
| 1960 | Spartacus · as Soldier (uncredited) |
| 1960 | The Alamo · as Bowie's Man |
| 1960 | Sergeant Rutledge · as Sam Beecher (uncredited) |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur · as The Lubian (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers · as Union Sergeant (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Young Land · as Jury Foreman |
| 1958 | Peter Gunn (TV Series) · as Minister |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Creel Weatherby |
| 1957 | The Iron Sheriff · as Emil Fielding |
| 1957 | The Abductors · as Secret Service Agent |
| 1957 | Apache Warrior · as Trooper (uncredited) |
| 1957 | The Wings of Eagles · as Officer In Brawl |
| 1956 | 7 Men from Now · as Henchman |
| 1956 | The Searchers · as Col. Greenhill |
| 1955 | The Prodigal · as Harun |
| 1954 | Drums Across the River · as Hank |
| 1953 | Take Me to Town · as Stagecoach Driver |
| 1953 | Champ for a Day · as Fight Spectator |
| 1953 | Cow Country · as Charlie - Cattleman |
| 1953 | The Sun Shines Bright · as Deputy |
| 1953 | The Man Behind the Gun · as Henchman Tex |
| 1952 | Lone Star · as Crayden Man |
| 1952 | Bend of the River · as Willie |
| 1951 | The Red Badge of Courage · as Soldier (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Rio Grande · as Soldier (uncredited) |
| 1950 | The Milkman · as Man |
| 1950 | Wagon Master · as Marshal Of Crystal City |
| 1950 | When Willie Comes Marching Home · as Churchgoer (uncredited) |
| 1949 | She Wore a Yellow Ribbon · as Trooper Cliff (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Fighting Kentuckian · as Kentuckian Driver |
| 1948 | 3 Godfathers · as Guard At Mojave Tanks (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Oklahoma Badlands · as Buggy Henchman |
| 1946 | My Pal Trigger · as Croupier |
| 1946 | The Phantom Rider · as Henchman |
| 1945 | San Antonio · as Gunman |
| 1945 | Dakota · as Bouncer |
| 1945 | Frontier Gal · as Brawler In Candy Shop |
| 1945 | The Purple Monster Strikes · as Clay |
| 1944 | Zorro's Black Whip · as Henchman |
| 1944 | The Tiger Woman · as Rand - Henchman [ch. 1] |
| 1944 | Song of Russia · as Wagon Driver |
| 1943 | Colt Comrades · as Rancher |
| 1942 | The Silver Bullet · as Stage Driver |
| 1940 | Winners of the West · as Indian / Henchman |
| 1939 | Renegade Trail · as Henchman |
| 1937 | Hollywood Round-Up · as Saloon Set Brawler |
| 1937 | Black Aces · as Rider |
| 1937 | North of the Rio Grande · as Barfly |
| 1936 | Trailin' West · as Gambler (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Winds of the Wasteland · as Express Rider |
| 1936 | The Phantom Rider · as Cowhand |
| 1936 | The Lawless Nineties · as Henchman Davis |
| 1935 | The Eagle's Brood · as Cowhand |
| 1935 | The Last Days of Pompeii · as Ostorius - A Gladiator (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Tumbling Tumbleweeds · as Henchman |
| 1935 | Dante's Inferno · as Stoker |
| 1935 | The Roaring West · as Guard |
| 1935 | The Miracle Rider · as Indian |
| 1935 | The Crimson Trail · as Barroom Cowhand |
| 1935 | Rustlers of Red Dog · as Stage Guard |
| 1934 | In Old Santa Fe · as Cowhand |
| 1934 | The Prescott Kid · as Cowhand In Town |
| 1933 | Gordon of Ghost City · as Rider |
| 1933 | The Lone Avenger · as Townsman |
| 1932 | The Devil Horse · as Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Night Rider · as Bert Logan |
| 1932 | Dynamite Ranch · as Henchman |
| 1932 | Hell-Fire Austin · as Henchman |
| 1932 | Law and Order · as Cowhand |
| 1931 | The Lightning Warrior · as Henchman |
| 1931 | Battling with Buffalo Bill · as Rider |
| 1931 | Riders of the Purple Sage · as Jed |
| 1931 | The One Way Trail · as Cowhand |
| 1931 | Law of the Rio Grande · as Deputy |
| 1931 | Alias the Bad Man · as Cowhand |
| 1931 | The Vanishing Legion · as Deputy O'brien [ch. 1] |
| 1931 | The Painted Desert · as Rider |
| 1931 | Red Fork Range · as 'skeeter' Beldon |
| 1930 | Under Texas Skies · as Mustang - Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1930 | Code of Honor · as Ranch Hand |
| 1930 | The Last of the Duanes · as Henchman |
| 1930 | Canyon Hawks · as Tom Hardy |
| 1930 | The Oklahoma Cyclone · as Henchman |
| 1930 | The Lone Rider · as Henchman |
| 1930 | Near the Rainbow's End · as Lefty - Henchman |
| 1930 | |
| 1929 | West of the Rockies · as Snakey Rogers |
| 1929 | Thundering Thompson · as Cowhand |
| 1926 | Desert Greed · as Gillis - Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1925 | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ · as Charioteer (uncredited) |