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1-6 of 6
- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
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 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 actor. After only a couple of bit parts, he was signed by low-budget 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.
Unfortunately, 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 1938-55 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).- Producer
- Additional Crew
Michael Myerberg was born on 5 August 1906 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was a producer, known for Patterns (1956), Hansel and Gretel (1954) and We, the People (1948). He was married to Adrienne Fontana Matzenauer (actress). He died on 6 January 1974 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.- Lech Pijanowski was born on 26 July 1928 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer, known for Klopotliwy gosc (1971), Barbara i Jan (1965) and Kartoteka (1966). He died on 6 January 1974 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Additional Crew
David Alfaro Siqueiros was born on 29 December 1896 in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico. He is known for Walls of Fire (1971) and Mexico 68. Instantaneas (1968). He was married to Angélica Arenal. He died on 6 January 1974 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.- Felix Steinboeck was born on 24 March 1897. He was an actor, known for Ninon de Lenclos (1920), Götz von Berlichingen (1955) and Der Verschwender (1953). He died on 6 January 1974 in Vienna, Austria.
- T. Jerome Lawler was born on 13 July 1887 in Canada. He was an actor, known for The Dazzling Miss Davison (1917), Slander (1916) and Wife Number Two (1917). He died on 6 January 1974 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.