Acting
John Dierkes
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'
Film · 1992
Creepy Classics
Film · 1987
Rage
Film · 1972
The Omega Man
Film · 1971
The Haunted Palace
Film · 1963
The Raven
Film · 1963
Johnny Cool
Film · 1963
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Film · 1963
The Premature Burial
Film · 1962
Convicts 4
Film · 1962
The Comancheros
Film · 1961
One-Eyed Jacks
Film · 1961
The Alamo
Film · 1960
The Slowest Gun in the West
Film · 1960
The Aquanauts
Series · 1960
The Hanging Tree
Film · 1959
The Oregon Trail
Film · 1959
Rawhide
Series · 1959
Rawhide
Series · 1959
The Buccaneer
Film · 1958
The Left Handed Gun
Film · 1958
Touch of Evil
Film · 1958
Blood Arrow
Film · 1958
Peter Gunn
Series · 1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Series · 1958
The Rifleman
Series · 1958
Valerie
Film · 1957
The Buckskin Lady
Film · 1957
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll
Film · 1957
Death in Small Doses
Film · 1957
Duel at Apache Wells
Film · 1957
The Guns of Fort Petticoat
Film · 1957
The Halliday Brand
Film · 1957
Down Liberty Road
Film · 1957
Tales of Wells Fargo
Series · 1957
The Fastest Gun Alive
Film · 1956
Friendly Persuasion
Film · 1956
Jubal
Film · 1956
Telephone Time
Series · 1956
State Trooper
Series · 1956
The Vanishing American
Film · 1955
Betrayed Women
Film · 1955
Not as a Stranger
Film · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Hell's Outpost
Film · 1954
The Naked Jungle
Film · 1954
The Raid
Film · 1954
The Desperado
Film · 1954
Adventures Of The Falcon
Series · 1954
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Film · 1953
Shane
Film · 1953
The Moonlighter
Film · 1953
The Vanquished
Film · 1953
Gun Fury
Film · 1953
Les Miserables
Film · 1952
The Thing from Another World
Film · 1951
The Red Badge of Courage
Film · 1951
Silver City
Film · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Three Husbands
Film · 1950
Lux Video Theatre
Series · 1950
Macbeth
Film · 1948