
John Dierkes
Biography
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.
Acting (47 movies)

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1953

Shane
1953

The Haunted Palace
1963

The Buccaneer
1958

The Alamo
1960

Macbeth
1948

The Premature Burial
1962

The Raven
1963

The Left Handed Gun
1958

The Hanging Tree
1959

Valerie
1957

Johnny Cool
1963

Creepy Classics
1987

Convicts 4
1962

The Buckskin Lady
1957

Les Miserables
1952

The Moonlighter
1953

Daughter of Dr. Jekyll
1957

The Vanishing American
1955

Three Husbands
1950

Hell's Outpost
1954

The Naked Jungle
1954

The Fastest Gun Alive
1956

The Raid
1954

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963

Death in Small Doses
1957

The Omega Man
1971

Rage
1972

Touch of Evil
1958

The Slowest Gun in the West
1960

Betrayed Women
1955

Friendly Persuasion
1956

The Thing from Another World
1951

The Desperado
1954

The Oregon Trail
1959

Duel at Apache Wells
1957

The Comancheros
1961

Not as a Stranger
1955

The Red Badge of Courage
1951

Jubal
1956

Silver City
1951

The Guns of Fort Petticoat
1957

One-Eyed Jacks
1961

The Vanquished
1953

Blood Arrow
1958

Gun Fury
1953

The Halliday Brand
1957
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