The son of a horse buyer for the U.S. Army cavalry, he acquired as a youngster riding skills that later made it possible for him to do his own stunts as an actor in Hollywood westerns.
[citation needed] Lyden supported himself in these early years by playing romantic leads in stock company productions in Lincoln and on the road; he appeared in a few Chautauqua presentations.
Soon after graduating from the University of Nebraska, he joined the United Chautauqua System, taking the leading role in its production of The Family Upstairs.
The number of his movie roles has been estimated at between 300 and 400 (actors who did not have major parts were not listed in film credits); he also appeared in about 150 episodes of The Cisco Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, The Lone Ranger, and other television series.
He worked with the most famous Western movie actors, including Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Hopalong Cassidy.