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