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John Derek

John Derek
John Derek - still.jpg
Born Derek Delevan Harris
(1926-08-12)August 12, 1926
Hollywood, California, US
Died May 22, 1998(1998-05-22) (aged 71)
Santa Maria, California, US
Cause of death Cardiovascular disease
Occupation Actor, director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor, producer
Years active 1943–1990
Spouse(s) Pati Behrs
(1948-1955; divorced)
Ursula Andress
(1957-1966; divorced)
Linda Evans
(1968-1974; divorced)
Bo Derek
(1976-1998; his death)
Children 2 with Behrs, including Sean Catherine Derek
Parent(s) Lawson Harris (father)

John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director and photographer. He appeared in such films as Knock on Any Door, All the King's Men, and Rogues of Sherwood Forest. He was also known for launching the career of his fourth wife, Bo Derek.

Derek was born Derek Delevan Harris in Hollywood, California, the son of actor/director Lawson Harris and actress Dolores Johnson. His striking good looks were noticed, and he was being groomed for a movie career by both David O. Selznick and his agent Henry Willson (who gave him the temporary stage name of Dare Harris) when he was drafted in 1944 into the United States Army, and saw service in the Philippines during the last days of World War II.

After the war, Derek approached Humphrey Bogart, who renamed him John Derek and cast him as Nick (Pretty Boy) Romano, an unregenerate killer, in Knock on Any Door (1949), a socially conscious 1949 melodrama. Derek was recognized as a talented newcomer, "plainly an idol for the girls," as Bosley Crowther put it in a review for The New York Times.

Derek followed that picture with a supporting role as the son of Broderick Crawford in All the King's Men (1949), the Best Picture Oscar winner for its year. He played leads in Fury at Showdown, and as Robin Hood in Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) with Alan Hale. He also appeared as Joshua in The Ten Commandments (1956). But he found himself featured increasingly as a hero or villain in a string of unimpressive B-movies—crime melodramas, westerns, pirate pictures and costume dramas.


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