John Dierkes
Actor
Born February 10, 1905 in 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
Creepy Classics
Roderick Craven - (archive footage)
Rage
Bill Parker
The Omega Man
Family Member
Johnny Cool
Cripple
The Haunted Palace
Benjamin West / Jacob West
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Preacher (uncredited)
The Raven
Roderick Craven
Convicts 4
Cell Block Guard (uncredited)
The Premature Burial
Sweeny
The Comancheros
Ranger Bill Larsen (uncredited)
One-Eyed Jacks
Chet
The Alamo
Jocko Robertson
The Aquanauts
Inspector Crail
The Slowest Gun in the West
'Wild Bill' Monks
The Oregon Trail
Gabe Hastings
The Hanging Tree
Society Red
Rawhide
Private
The Buccaneer
Deacon
The Rifleman
Nel Svenson
Peter Gunn
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Charlie
The Left Handed Gun
McSween
Blood Arrow
Ez
Touch of Evil
Policeman (uncredited)
Death in Small Doses
Valerie
Bartender
The Buckskin Lady
Swanson
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll
Jacob
The Guns of Fort Petticoat
Texas Storekeeper (uncredited)
Tales of Wells Fargo
Scanlon
Duel at Apache Wells
Bill Sowers
The Halliday Brand
Reverend
Down Liberty Road
Soldier (Uncredited)
Friendly Persuasion
Farmer (uncredited)
The Fastest Gun Alive
Cross Creek Townsman (uncredited)
Telephone Time
Jubal
Carson - Horgan Rider
The Vanishing American
Freil
Gunsmoke
Rydell
Betrayed Women
Cletus Ballard
Not as a Stranger
Bursar
Hell's Outpost
Swede - the Cook (uncredited)
The Raid
Cpl. Fred Deane
Adventures Of The Falcon
The Desperado
Police Sergeant
The Naked Jungle
Gruber
Gun Fury
The Moonlighter
Sheriff Daws
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Batley
The Vanquished
General Morris
Shane
Morgan Ryker
Les Miserables
Bosun (uncredited)
Silver City
Arnie
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Joe Bronson
The Red Badge of Courage
Jim Conklin - the Tall Soldier
The Thing from Another World
Dr. Chapman
Three Husbands
Night Court Judge (uncredited)
Macbeth
Ross