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IMDbPro

John Derek(1926-1998)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Cinematographer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
John Derek in The Last Posse (1953)
Trailer for Bolero
Play trailer2:26
Bolero (1984)
7 Videos
99+ Photos
John Derek was born on 12 August 1926 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for The Ten Commandments (1956), Ghosts Can't Do It (1989) and Bolero (1984). He was previously married to Bo Derek, Linda Evans, Ursula Andress and Pati Behrs. He died on 22 May 1998 in Santa Maria, California, USA.
BornAugust 12, 1926
DiedMay 22, 1998(71)
BornAugust 12, 1926
DiedMay 22, 1998(71)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 6 wins & 4 nominations

Photos108

Humphrey Bogart and John Derek in Knock on Any Door (1949)
Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, and Chuck Hamilton in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek and Mickey Knox in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek and Sid Melton in Knock on Any Door (1949)
Humphrey Bogart and John Derek in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek and Allene Roberts in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek and Allene Roberts in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek and Allene Roberts in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek in Knock on Any Door (1949)
John Derek, Mickey Knox, and Cara Williams in Knock on Any Door (1949)

Known for:

Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Vincent Price in The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Ten Commandments
7.9
  • Joshua
  • 1956
Bo Derek in Ghosts Can't Do It (1989)
Ghosts Can't Do It
2.1
  • Director
  • 1989
Bolero (1984)
Bolero
3.0
  • Director
  • 1984
Knock on Any Door (1949)
Knock on Any Door
6.6
  • Nick Romano
  • 1949

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die (1966)
    Once Before I Die
    • Bailey
    • 1966
  • Nightmare in the Sun (1965)
    Nightmare in the Sun
    • Hitchhiker
    • 1965
  • John Derek, Richard Jaeckel, and Chill Wills in Frontier Circus (1961)
    Frontier Circus
    • Ben Travis
    • TV Series
    • 1961–1962
  • Dick Powell in Zane Grey Theatre (1956)
    Zane Grey Theatre
    • Chet Loring
    • Andy Todd
    • TV Series
    • 1957–1961
  • "Exodus" (Saul Bass Poster) 1960 Columbia Pictures
    Exodus
    • Taha
    • 1960
  • I battellieri del Volga (1959)
    I battellieri del Volga
    • Alexej Orloff
    • 1959
  • High Hell (1958)
    High Hell
    • Craig Rhodes
    • 1958
  • Il corsaro della mezzaluna (1957)
    Il corsaro della mezzaluna
    • Nadir El Krim
    • Paul de Vellenera
    • 1957
  • Debra Paget and Cornel Wilde in Omar Khayyam (1957)
    Omar Khayyam
    • Young Prince Malik
    • 1957
  • John Derek, Freda Jackson, and Milly Vitale in The Flesh Is Weak (1957)
    The Flesh Is Weak
    • Tony Giani
    • 1957
  • John Derek in Fury at Showdown (1957)
    Fury at Showdown
    • Brock Mitchell
    • 1957
  • "Eighty Yard Run, The" (Playhouse 90) Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. 1957 CBS
    Playhouse 90
    • Lt. Norman Tucker
    • TV Series
    • 1956
  • The Ford Television Theatre (1952)
    The Ford Television Theatre
    • Jim Hawk
    • Allan Malone
    • TV Series
    • 1953–1956
  • Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo, John Derek, and Vincent Price in The Ten Commandments (1956)
    The Ten Commandments
    • Joshua
    • 1956
  • The Leather Saint (1956)
    The Leather Saint
    • Father Gil Allen
    • 1956

Director

  • Shania Twain: Any Man of Mine (1995)
    Shania Twain: Any Man of Mine
    • Director
    • Music Video
    • 1995
  • Shania Twain: Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? (1995)
    Shania Twain: Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
    • Director
    • Music Video
    • 1995
  • Bo Derek in Ghosts Can't Do It (1989)
    Ghosts Can't Do It
    • Director
    • 1989
  • Bolero (1984)
    Bolero
    • Director
    • 1984
  • Bo Derek in Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
    Tarzan the Ape Man
    • Director
    • 1981
  • Bo Derek in Fantasies (1981)
    Fantasies
    • Director
    • 1981
  • Love You!
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Childish Things (1969)
    Childish Things
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Airion Fromer and Dean Paul Martin in A Boy... a Girl (1969)
    A Boy... a Girl
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die (1966)
    Once Before I Die
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Nightmare in the Sun (1965)
    Nightmare in the Sun
    • Director
    • 1965

Cinematographer

  • Bo Derek in Ghosts Can't Do It (1989)
    Ghosts Can't Do It
    • Cinematographer (photographed by)
    • 1989
  • Bolero (1984)
    Bolero
    • Cinematographer
    • 1984
  • Bo Derek in Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
    Tarzan the Ape Man
    • Cinematographer (photographed by)
    • 1981
  • Bo Derek in Fantasies (1981)
    Fantasies
    • Cinematographer
    • 1981
  • Love You!
    • Cinematographer
    • 1979
  • Childish Things (1969)
    Childish Things
    • Cinematographer (photographed by)
    • 1969
  • Airion Fromer and Dean Paul Martin in A Boy... a Girl (1969)
    A Boy... a Girl
    • Cinematographer
    • 1969

Videos7

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:52
Official Trailer
All the King's Men -- Trailer
Trailer 2:28
All the King's Men -- Trailer
Scandal Sheet
Trailer 2:10
Scandal Sheet
Knock on Any Door
Trailer 1:38
Knock on Any Door
Bolero
Trailer 2:26
Bolero
The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
Trailer 1:08
The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
Exodus
Trailer 2:48
Exodus

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Dare Harris
  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • August 12, 1926
    • Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • May 22, 1998
    • Santa Maria, California, USA(heart problems)
  • Spouses
      Bo DerekJune 10, 1976 - May 22, 1998 (his death)
  • Children
      Russell Andre Derek
  • Parents
      Lawson Harris
  • Relatives
      Alyce Derek(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    Music video: Directed "Any Man of Mine" with Shania Twain.
  • Publicity listings
    • 8 Articles
    • 20 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Walked out on first wife Pati Behrs and their family in 1955 for a pre-fame Ursula Andress, who had recently immigrated to the U.S. from Italy and spoke almost no English at the time. Behrs threatened to bring a morals charge against Derek for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which could've meant deportation for Andress.
  • Quotes
    [on the interview with Cecil B. DeMille that led to his being cast in DeMille's final film] He was disappointed in my stature. He wanted me for the part of Joshua, the stonecutter, in The Ten Commandments (1956). He had studied me for months and knew more about me than I knew about myself. I was so used to being rushed through interviews that I stumbled over my words for the first fifteen minutes to get out everything I wanted to say. An hour and a half later I was still in there with him. A burning desire to play Joshua and a new enthusiasm for acting actually filled me. Finally, I told him that by the time he was ready to shoot, I would build up my body by scaling it down from one hundred eighty-five pounds to the proportions he wanted by weight lifting and I would be the best Joshua he could find.

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