John Derek Biography
Born: August 12, 1926
Died: May 22, 1998
John Derek was the son of writer/director Lawson Harris and bit-actress Dolores_Johnson. Signed by David_O._Selznick in 1943, Derek made his film debut as an extra in Since_You_Went_Away, playing a soldier--which indeed he was at the time. His first starring role was as a death-row juvenile delinquent in Columbia's Knock on Any Door (1949), in which he was given more screen time than nominal star Humphrey_Bogart. Most of Derek's subsequent Columbia assignments were in workaday "B" costume pictures and westerns; he enjoyed his best role in years, that of John Wilkes Booth, in 20th Century-Fox's Prince of Players (1954). By 1961, Derek's film career was seriously flagging, obliging him to sign on as one of the stars of the 26-week TV series Frontier Circus. Unhappy with his progress (or lack of it) as an actor, Derek turned director for the 1966 wartime flick Once_Before_I_Die. Derek has used many of his directorial efforts as showcases for his various "protege" wives: Ursula_Andress, Linda_Evans, and Bo_Derek. When not playing "Svengali" (an appellation he fully accepted with high good humor, as did his lovely "Trilbys"), John Derek kept busy as a director and cinematographer on such quasi-erotic films as Bolero (1984) and Ghosts_Can't_Do_It (1990). Derek had suffered from heart trouble for many years; on May 20, 1998, the 71-year-old director was found unconscious in his Santa Ynez Valley home. Despite doctor's efforts, the damage to his heart muscle proved too great and on May 22, he passed away.
Hal Erickson, Rovi
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