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