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