Cliff Lyons

Clifford William Lyons (1 July 1901 - 6 January 1974) was an American film actor, stuntman and second unit director, primarily of Westerns and particularly the films of John Ford and John Wayne. His Hollywood contemporaries were unanimous in describing him as “a driven taskmaster”. Biography 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, Tennessee, where he attended business school. An expert horseman, Lyons gave up the notion of a business career and opted for the rodeo arena instead, touring nationwide and eventually reaching Los Angeles at the age of 21. Accomplished cowboys were in great demand for western films, and Lyons found a home in that genre, working both as a stuntman and an actor. After only a couple of bit parts, he was signed by independent producer Bud Barsky to do seven inexpensive Westerns directed by Paul Hurst, with costar Al Hoxie (the younger brother of cowboy actor Jack Hoxie). Lyons and Al Hoxie alternated as the hero and heavy 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. Throughout the late 1920s he also worked frequently in Ben F. Wilson productions around Inglewood, California. Unfortunately, Lyons' voice was not well-suited for sound and the talkie revolution confined him to smaller roles. However, as his shot at stardom faded, his career as a stunt double for major actors was on the rise. Lyons doubled such cowboy stars as Tom Mix, Ken Maynard, Buck Jones and Johnny Mack Brown, often under the direction of Francis Ford, elder brother of John.