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