Cast & creator
John Dierkes
Best known for The Rifleman, Rawhide, Rawhide
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.
49
film credits
17
television credits
66
1948–1992 · acting roles
6.4
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (66)
Showing 66 of 66 credits
The Rifleman
Nel Svenson
1958
Rawhide
Private
1959Rawhide
Martinson
1959
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Charlie
1958
Gunsmoke
Rydell
1955Gunsmoke
Ace
1955Gunsmoke
Indian
1955Gunsmoke
Dahoma
1955
Peter Gunn
1958State Trooper
1956
Tales of Wells Fargo
Scanlon
1957
Telephone Time
1956Lux Video Theatre
Jeb Bricker
1950
Touch of Evil
Policeman (uncredited)
1958
The Aquanauts
Inspector Crail
1960
Shane
Morgan Ryker
1953
The Thing from Another World
Dr. Chapman
1951
The Alamo
Jocko Robertson
1960
Friendly Persuasion
Farmer (uncredited)
1956
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Joe Bronson
1951Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Dr. Belvedere
1951
One-Eyed Jacks
Chet
1961
Adventures Of The Falcon
1954
The Raven
Roderick Craven
1963
The Omega Man
Family Member
1971
The Comancheros
Ranger Bill Larsen (uncredited)
1961
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Preacher (uncredited)
1963
The Haunted Palace
Benjamin West / Jacob West
1963
The Left Handed Gun
Alexander McSween
1958
The Naked Jungle
Gruber
1954
Johnny Cool
Cripple
1963
The Fastest Gun Alive
Cross Creek Townsman (uncredited)
1956
Macbeth
Ross
1948
The Buccaneer
Deacon
1958
The Hanging Tree
Society Red
1959
The Red Badge of Courage
Jim Conklin - the Tall Soldier
1951
Not as a Stranger
Bursar
1955
Jubal
Carson - Horgan Rider
1956
The Premature Burial
Sweeny
1962
The Oregon Trail
Gabe Hastings
1959
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Batley
1953
The Raid
Cpl. Fred Deane
1954
The Guns of Fort Petticoat
Texas Storekeeper (uncredited)
1957
The Vanquished
General Morris
1953
Valerie
Bartender
1957
The Slowest Gun in the West
'Wild Bill' Monks
1960
Gun Fury
1953
Les Miserables
Bosun (uncredited)
1952
Death in Small Doses
1957
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll
Jacob
1957
Convicts 4
Cell Block Guard (uncredited)
1962
Duel at Apache Wells
Bill Sowers
1957
Rage
Bill Parker
1972
The Halliday Brand
Reverend
1957
The Moonlighter
Sheriff Daws
1953
Hell's Outpost
Swede - the Cook (uncredited)
1954John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
Jocko Robertson
1992
The Desperado
Police Sergeant
1954
The Buckskin Lady
Swanson
1957
Silver City
Arnie
1951
The Vanishing American
Freil
1955
Three Husbands
Night Court Judge (uncredited)
1950
Creepy Classics
Roderick Craven - (archive footage)
1987
Down Liberty Road
Soldier (Uncredited)
1957
Blood Arrow
Ez
1958
Betrayed Women
Cletus Ballard
1955