Cliff Lyons

Cliff Lyons was an American actor, stuntman, and second-unit director, primarily associated with Westerns, especially those directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. He was the son of Garrett Thomas Lyons and Wilhamena Johnson Lyons, and was raised on a South Dakota farm. His family also lived for a time in Memphis, Tennessee, where he attended business school. An expert horseman, Lyons abandoned the idea of a business career in favor of rodeo work, touring the country before moving to Los Angeles at age 21. With accomplished cowboys in high demand, Lyons soon entered the film industry, working as both a stuntman and actor. After a few bit parts, he was signed by low-budget producer Bud Barsky to star in seven inexpensive Westerns directed by Paul Hurst, with Lyons and Al Hoxie alternating in the roles of hero and villain. Lyons and Hoxie also alternated in another Western series produced by Morris R. Schlank, and under the name Cliff "Tex" Lyons, he appeared to be on the verge of becoming a B-Western lead. However, Lyons' voice was not well-suited for sound, and the transition to talkies limited him to smaller roles. As his chances at stardom diminished, his career as a stunt double began to flourish. He doubled for cowboy stars such as Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Buck Jones, and Johnny Mack Brown. In 1936, he worked with John Wayne for the first time, establishing a personal and professional relationship that lasted for three decades. Wayne helped secure Lyons' first job as a second-unit director and introduced him to John Ford, for whom Lyons would later do some of his most notable work. Lyons' reputation as a stunt coordinator is often compared to that of Yakima Canutt, with whom he frequently collaborated. Among his most notable achievements was the complex battle sequences in John Wayne's *The Alamo* (1960). Lyons was married from 1938 to 1955 to actress Beth Marion, with whom he had two sons. He died in 1974 at the age of 72, shortly after coordinating stunts for Wayne's *The Train Robbers* (1973).