Garland Lyons
Garland was born in Portland, Oregon but spent the majority of his adolescence in Corvallis, Oregon. He was considered a class clown throughout high school, which often ended him up in the Principal's office. His childhood friend suggested that he channel this creative energy onto the stage and convinced Garland to join him in the beginning acting class offered at the high school. That same year, Garland auditioned and landed his first part, a play called The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere. He was hooked after that first moment he walked on stage. From there, he performed in a string of plays from Twelfth Night to Alice in Wonderland. After high school, Garland continued to act, appearing in a number of productions around town. Two years out of high school, he felt it was time to further his education and relocated to Eugene, Oregon, where he continued to study Music and Theatre at Lane Community College. While at Lane, he performed in the wildly popular plays Amadeus and A Midsummer Night's Dream among others. Upon completion of that program, he decided to set his sights on a grander scale and moved to the great city of Seattle to one day attend the University of Washington. After one year, he was granted admission into the illustrious Drama Department, where he was first introduced to Viewpoints with Tina Landau as well as the physical training of Suzuki. Garland graduated with honors from the program along with a second degree in Psychology. While studying at the U of W, he was granted the highly coveted Glenn Hughes memorial Scholarship his junior year, the only scholarship offered in the department that year. Upon graduating, Garland continued to perform around the city until he eventually decided to head south to the City of Angels, Los Angeles. Although he continued to excel, he missed the great Pacific Northwest and ultimately decided to move back in 2001, where he continues live and act to this day. The last few years have been particularly successful for Garland, having landed roles on the hit Television shows Leverage, Portlandia and Grimm, working with Gus Van Sant in Restless as well as winning a prestigious Drammy award for his turn as The Judge in David Mamet's Romance.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Actor
- 5 on Motif
What are Garland Lyons' films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
A split, not a type: Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 3
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Garland Lyons' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Garland Lyons' titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
5 credits, 5 with a Motif page.
Career shape
Star power in the 45th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 5 titles from 2008 to 2016; peak year 2012.
Film career
Peak 2012 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2012Screen debut· The Falls
How do Garland Lyons' films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 30. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Garland Lyons work with?
People who share at least 2 of Garland Lyons' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jon Garcia shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Jon GarciaShared titles: The Falls: Covenant of Grace (2016), The Falls (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jon Garcia
Actors
- Benjamin FarmerShared titles: The Falls: Covenant of Grace (2016), The Falls (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Benjamin Farmer
- Harold PhillipsShared titles: The Falls: Covenant of Grace (2016), The Falls (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Harold Phillips
- Nick FerrucciShared titles: The Falls: Covenant of Grace (2016), The Falls (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Nick Ferrucci
