John Dierkes
Date of Birth:
Feb 10, 1905
Place of Birth:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Date of Birth:
Feb 10, 1905
Place of Birth:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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.
filmography:
1987
1972
1971
1963
1963
1963
1962
1962
1961
1961
1960
1959
1959
1958
1958
1958
1958
1957
1957
1957
1957
1956
1956
1955
1955
1954
1954
1954
1954
1953
1953
1953
1952
1951
1950
1948