John Dierkes

Known for ActingBorn 1905-02-10Died 1975-01-08Cincinnati, 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.Read more

Movies & web series

Down Liberty Road

John Wayne's 'The Alamo'

Blood Arrow

Touch of Evil

Shane

Rawhide

Macbeth

The Desperado

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

The Alamo

The Rifleman

Tales of Wells Fargo

Wanted: Dead or Alive

The Fastest Gun Alive

Rage

Jubal

One-Eyed Jacks

The Haunted Palace

The Comancheros

Creepy Classics

The Hanging Tree

Friendly Persuasion

Gunsmoke

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

The Vanishing American

Lux Video Theatre

The Thing from Another World

Peter Gunn

Silver City

The Buccaneer

Telephone Time

The Naked Jungle

The Raid

The Red Badge of Courage

The Raven

The Premature Burial

The Guns of Fort Petticoat

The Omega Man

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Not as a Stranger

The Halliday Brand

Gun Fury

The Left Handed Gun

The Aquanauts

Duel at Apache Wells

Adventures Of The Falcon

The Moonlighter

Daughter of Dr. Jekyll