Michael J. Lyons

Michael J. Lyons (born August 10, 1951; Darby, Pennsylvania) is an American professional motivational speaker, actor and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles in the Netflix TV series House of Cards, Outsiders, What Would You Do?, and Veep.

Life

Lyons is a native and current resident of Philadelphia. He was born to Frances Katherine Lyons (née Wiethoff), a painter, former model and actress; and John T. Lyons Jr., an advertising executive and member of the 1940 U.S. Olympic Rowing team. Lyons and his five siblings grew up in Havertown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. In June 1960, his father moved the family to Paris, France for a new business opportunity. In 1963, when Lyons was twelve years old, his family returned to Philadelphia. Then, he attended Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Later, Lyons attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. He is married to Loraine Lyons since 1974, has three children and seven grandchildren.

Career

Lyons spent 40 years as an executive in the travel industry and served on the boards of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) and Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME). Lyons is actively involved in hospitality industry organizations such as Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). He was exhibition Director of Americas Meetings and Events Exhibition (AIBTM), America, a trade show organized by Reed Exhibitions, an international event organizer.

As a professional speaker, Lyons delivers talks in the US and abroad on how to achieve goals, pursue a passion, and improve personality.

As an actor, Lyons contributed to major films, TV shows, TV commercials. He made his commercial debut for Honey Bunches of Oats cereals, contributed to Advil, AT&T, Doritos (Frito-Lay). and hundreds of live appearances on the shopping channel QVC as a product host. He played roles in the popular Netflix series “House of Cards”, “The Sixth Sense”, “All My Children”, “Veep,” “What Would You Do?” “Arrest and Trial”, and “Outsiders”.

Works

Book

In 2017, Lyons published "Set Yourself Free: Daydream it... Believe it... Achieve it!", a practical guide for achieving success and happiness. In this book, he teaches how to conquer procrastination, stay focused on goals, turn negative influencers into positive action steps, get organized and pursue one's daydreams.

Filmography

External links

• Michael J. Lyons website