1901-07-05 Clarno Township, Lake County, South Dakota, USA
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
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Chisum | Wrangler (uncredited) | 1970-07-23 |
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The Green Berets | Hugh Parkinson (uncredited) | 1968-07-04 |
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The War Wagon | Outrider (uncredited) | 1967-05-26 |
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Major Dundee | Trooper (uncredited) | 1965-03-15 |
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Genghis Khan | (uncredited) | 1965-04-15 |
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La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo | (uncredited) | 1965-08-06 |
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Two Rode Together | William McCandless (uncredited) | 1961-05-24 |
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Sergeant Rutledge | Sam Beecher (uncredited) | 1960-05-18 |
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Spartacus | Soldier (uncredited) | 1960-10-13 |
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The Alamo | Bowie's Man (uncredited) | 1960-10-23 |
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The Young Land | Jury Foreman | 1959-05-01 |
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The Young Land | Reynolds - Jury Foreman (uncredited) | 1959-05-01 |
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The Horse Soldiers | Union Sergeant (uncredited) | 1959-06-11 |
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Ben-Hur | The Lubian (uncredited) | 1959-11-18 |
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Apache Warrior | Trooper (uncredited) | 1957-07-01 |
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The Abductors | Secret Service Agent | 1957-07-01 |
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7 Men from Now | Henchman | 1956-07-24 |
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The Prodigal | Harun (uncredited) | 1955-05-06 |
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Bend of the River | Willie | 1952-01-23 |
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The Red Badge of Courage | Soldier (uncredited) | 1951-09-27 |
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When Willie Comes Marching Home | Churchgoer (uncredited) | 1950-02-17 |
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Rio Grande | Soldier (uncredited) | 1950-11-15 |
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Wagon Master | Marshal of Crystal City | 1950-04-22 |
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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon | Trooper Cliff (uncredited) | 1949-10-22 |
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3 Godfathers | Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited) | 1948-12-31 |
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Colt Comrades | Rancher | 1943-06-18 |
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Wagon Tracks West | Henchman Matt | 1943-08-18 |
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The Silver Bullet | Stage Driver | 1942-08-05 |
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The Silver Bullet | Barfly | 1942-08-05 |
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Winners of the West | Indian / Henchman | 1940-07-02 |
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Renegade Trail | Henchman | 1939-07-25 |
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North of the Rio Grande | Barfly | 1937-06-28 |
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Hollywood Round-Up | Saloon Set Brawler | 1937-11-06 |
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Black Aces | Rider | 1937-09-04 |
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Trailin' West | Gambler (uncredited) | 1936-09-04 |
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The Lawless Nineties | Henchman Davis | 1936-02-15 |
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The Crimson Trail | Barroom Cowhand | 1935-03-11 |
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The Eagle's Brood | Cowhand | 1935-10-25 |
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Stormy | Cowhand (uncredited) | 1935-10-21 |
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The Last Days of Pompeii | Ostorius - a Gladiator (uncredited) | 1935-10-18 |
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Gordon of Ghost City | Rider | 1933-08-13 |
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The Devil Horse | Cowhand (uncredited) | 1932-11-01 |
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The Night Rider | Bert Logan | 1932-08-22 |
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The Rainbow Trail | Horseman | 1932-01-03 |
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The Painted Desert | Rider | 1931-01-18 |
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Red Fork Range | 'Skeeter' Beldon | 1931-01-12 |
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Three Rogues | Deputy (uncredited) | 1931-03-08 |
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Riders of the Purple Sage | Jed | 1931-10-22 |
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The Cheyenne Kid | Cowhand (uncredited) | 1930-05-01 |
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The Oklahoma Cyclone | Henchman | 1930-08-08 |
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The Lone Rider | Henchman | 1930-07-13 |
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Near the Rainbow's End | Lefty - Henchman | 1930-06-10 |
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O'Malley Rides Alone | Henchman | 1930-01-01 |
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Firebrand Jordan | Pete | 1930-01-28 |
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The Canyon of Missing Men | Brill Lonegran | 1930-06-01 |
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Call of the Desert | Nate Thomas | 1930-03-01 |
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Covered Wagon Trails | 1930-02-01 | |
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Under Texas Skies | Mustang - Henchman (uncredited) | 1930-11-15 |
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Western Honor | 1930-05-15 | |
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Canyon Hawks | Tom Hardy | 1930-08-25 |
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The Oklahoma Sheriff | 1930-07-10 | |
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The Last of the Duanes | Henchman | 1930-08-31 |
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The Man from Nowhere | 1930-04-04 | |
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Breezy Bill | Bandit | 1930-01-24 |
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The Hunted Men | Henchman Red (uncredited) | 1930-04-01 |
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Bullets and Justice | Red Barton | 1929-02-18 |
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The Fighting Terror | 1929-08-01 | |
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The Last Roundup | Jimmy Blyth | 1929-06-30 |
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The Cowboy and the Outlaw | Slim Saxon | 1929-10-01 |
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Code of the West | Leary Henchman | 1929-11-01 |
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The Law of the Plains | Henchman | 1929-08-19 |
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Headin' Westward | Pat Carle | 1929-02-15 |
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The Voice from the Sky | Henchman 'Humpy' | 1929-12-01 |
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The Arizona Kid | Red Hank | 1929-03-31 |
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Across the Plains | Chuck Lang | 1928-06-26 |
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Manhattan Cowboy | Tex Spaulding | 1928-10-01 |
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The Old Code | Jacques de Long | 1928-11-14 |
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Hell Hounds of the Plains | Henchman (uncredited) | 1927-05-07 |
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Western Courage | Henchman Cliff | 1927-04-11 |
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Outlaw's Paradise | Sheriff | 1927-03-01 |
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The Fighting Ranger | 1926-09-15 | |
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Desert Greed | Gillis - Henchman (uncredited) | 1926-12-11 |
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Blue Streak O'Neil | 1926-12-15 | |
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Charioteer (uncredited) | 1925-12-25 |
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The Road Agent | 1925-07-30 | |
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Wild Horse Canyon | Ranch Hand | 1925-05-30 |
