John Dierkes
Acting
1905-02-10 · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Dierkes was born on February 10, 1905 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Brown University and subsequently went to work as an economist for the United States Department of State. In 1941 he joined the Red Cross and served in the Britain duringWorld War II. There he met director John Huston who recommended that he try Hollywood after the war. Instead, Dierkes went to work for the U.S. Treasury Department which coincidentally sent him to Hollywood to function as technical advisor for the film To the Ends of the Earth (1948). Because of his appearance and very tall frame (6 feet, 6 inches), Dierkes enjoyed a long career as a character actor, often portraying villains or soldiers. In the 1953 film Shane, Dierkes portrays villain Morgan Ryker, who is the last man shot by the title character, Shane, in the final bar room shootout. One of his more memorable scenes is in the 1960 film, The Alamo. Dierkes portrays a Tennessean named Jocko, who is torn between leaving before the attack to care for his blind wife, or staying to support the Texans' cause. Understanding that if Jocko stays to fight she will likely be widowed, Jocko's wife coaxes him to stay and defend the fort, despite her disability. Dierkes died in 1975 of emphesyma and was survived by his wife Cynthia, two sons, and two daughters.
Filmography
John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
1992 · Movie
Creepy Classics
1987 · Movie
Rage
1972 · Movie
The Omega Man
1971 · Movie
Johnny Cool
1963 · Movie
The Haunted Palace
1963 · Movie
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963 · Movie
The Raven
1963 · Movie
Convicts 4
1962 · Movie
The Premature Burial
1962 · Movie
The Comancheros
1961 · Movie
One-Eyed Jacks
1961 · Movie
The Alamo
1960 · Movie
The Aquanauts
1960 · Series
The Slowest Gun in the West
1960 · Movie
The Oregon Trail
1959 · Movie
The Hanging Tree
1959 · Movie
Rawhide
1959 · Series
The Buccaneer
1958 · Movie
The Rifleman
1958 · Series
Peter Gunn
1958 · Series
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958 · Series
The Left Handed Gun
1958 · Movie
Blood Arrow
1958 · Movie
Touch of Evil
1958 · Movie
Death in Small Doses
1957 · Movie
Valerie
1957 · Movie
The Buckskin Lady
1957 · Movie
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll
1957 · Movie
The Guns of Fort Petticoat
1957 · Movie
Tales of Wells Fargo
1957 · Series
Duel at Apache Wells
1957 · Movie
Down Liberty Road
1957 · Movie
The Halliday Brand
1957 · Movie
Friendly Persuasion
1956 · Movie
State Trooper
1956 · Series
The Fastest Gun Alive
1956 · Movie
Telephone Time
1956 · Series
Jubal
1956 · Movie
The Vanishing American
1955 · Movie
Gunsmoke
1955 · Series
Betrayed Women
1955 · Movie
Not as a Stranger
1955 · Movie
Hell's Outpost
1954 · Movie
The Raid
1954 · Movie
Adventures Of The Falcon
1954 · Series
The Desperado
1954 · Movie
The Naked Jungle
1954 · Movie
Gun Fury
1953 · Movie
The Moonlighter
1953 · Movie
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1953 · Movie
The Vanquished
1953 · Movie
Shane
1953 · Movie
Les Miserables
1952 · Movie
Silver City
1951 · Movie
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · Series
The Red Badge of Courage
1951 · Movie
The Thing from Another World
1951 · Movie
Three Husbands
1950 · Movie
Lux Video Theatre
1950 · Series
Macbeth
1948 · Movie