People
John Dierkes
Acting · follow into films and chains
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.
Notable films
Where to start
Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.
Macbeth
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Touch of Evil
As Policeman (uncredited)
The Thing from Another World
As Dr. Chapman
The Raven
As Roderick Craven
The Alamo
As Jocko Robertson
One-Eyed Jacks
As Chet
The Haunted Palace
As Benjamin West / Jacob West
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
As Preacher (uncredited)
Chains
KinoChain journeys
Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.
Topics
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Related people
Collaborators & neighbours
Acted
The Haunted Palace
1963 · Benjamin West / Jacob West
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963 · Preacher (uncredited)
The Raven
1963 · Roderick Craven
One-Eyed Jacks
1961 · Chet
The Alamo
1960 · Jocko Robertson
Touch of Evil
1958 · Policeman (uncredited)
The Raid
1954 · Cpl. Fred Deane
Gun Fury
1953
The Thing from Another World
1951 · Dr. Chapman
Macbeth
1948 · Ross