John Derek

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John Harris Derek , born Derek Delevan Harris (* 12. August 1926 in Hollywood , California ; † 22. May 1998 in Santa Maria ) was a US -American actor , film director and cameraman , who through his marriages to actresses Ursula Andress and Bo Derek gained notoriety.

biography

Born as Derek Delevan Harris in Hollywood , California , he would follow his parents, Lawson Harris and Dolores Johnson , into the film business at an early age . His agent Henry Willson first gave him the stage name Dare Harris , under which he appeared in his first films. He made his acting debut as a teenager in 1944 in the film I'll see you again . This was followed by two classics from 1949 from Columbia Pictures , the company he was under contract with: In Front of Closed Doors at the side of Humphrey Bogart and The Man Who Wished to Rule alongside Broderick Crawford . It was Bogart who gave him the stage name John Derek and gave him the role of a young, stupid criminal in Closed Doors . In addition, Derek only starred in two classic films: Joshua in The Ten Commandments and Paul Newman's brotherly friend in Exodus , which mark the pinnacle of his acting career. For these achievements he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 .

Despite impressive presentations and massive publicity from the film magazines, the young handsome slipped onto the B-film track and appeared in dozens of western and adventure films, as well as the western series Frontier Circus . Derek withdrew more and more from the acting business, which was unsatisfactory for him, and concentrated on staging his respective wives for Playboy and as a director in his films as a talented photographer .

As a film director, however, Derek achieved limited success. He made his directorial debut in 1965 with the war film Once Again - Before I Die . Nine more productions followed by 1990. In 1981 he directed Tarzan - Lord of the Jungle , in which his fourth and last wife Bo Derek played the leading female role. His last film Mein Geist always only wants one thing ... came up with her in the lead role. For this film he was awarded the Golden Raspberry as worst director . He had already received this award in 1985 for the film Bolero in two categories.

Derek was married a total of four times. All of his wives worked as actresses in the film business. From 1951 to 1957 his first marriage lasted with Pati Behrs (1922-2004), the great niece of Leo Tolstoy and mother of his two children Russell and Sean. In the same year he married Ursula Andress , the marriage lasted until 1966. Two years later, his marriage to Linda Evans began , this ended in 1974. His last marriage to the then 18-year-old Bo Derek lasted from 1976 until his death when he was in 1998 died of heart failure at Marian Medical Center.

Filmography (selection)

As an actor
  • 1944: When you said goodbye (Since You Went Away) anonymous
  • 1944: I will see you again (I'll Be Seeing You)
  • 1947: Murder in Ecstasy (A Double Life) anonymous
  • 1949: Knock on Any Door
  • 1949: The man who wanted to rule (All the King's Men)
  • 1950: Robin Hood's Retribution (Rogues of Sherwood Forest)
  • 1951: The Avenger of Casamare (Mask of the Avenger)
  • 1951: A Hero for Two Hours (Saturday's Hero)
  • 1952: Scandal Sheet
  • 1952: Baptism of Fire Invasion (Thunderbirds)
  • 1953: Pirates on board (Prince of Pirates)
  • 1953: The Hour of Reckoning (Ambush at Tomahawk Gap)
  • 1953: The Last Posse
  • 1954: Brandmark der Vengeance (The Outcast)
  • 1954: The Adventures of Hajji Baba
  • 1955: King of the actor (Prince of Players)
  • 1955: In the shadow of the gallows (Run for Cover)
  • 1956: Decision Day (The Leather Saint)
  • 1956: The Ten Commandments (The Ten Commandments)
  • 1956: Storm over Persia (Omar Khayyam)
  • 1957: The Corsair of the Red Crescent (Il corsaro della mezzaluna)
  • 1957: The Avenger is already waiting (Fury at Showdown)
  • 1957: Women We Meet at Night (The Flesh Is Weak)
  • 1958: Rampant (High Hell)
  • 1959: Volga boatman (I battellieri del Volga)
  • 1960: Exodus
  • 1965: Hunting in chains (Nightmare in the Sun)
  • 1966: Once Again - Before I Die (Once Before I Die)
As a director, screenwriter and cameraman

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Derek in the Notable Names Database (English)
  2. ↑ Myrna Oliver Actor Turned Director Was Wed to Bo Derek on articles.latimes.com, accessed February 20, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Derek, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Derek, John Harris (full name); Harris, Derek Delevan (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, film director and cameraman
DATE OF BIRTH August 12, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Hollywood , California
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 1998
Place of death Santa Maria