John Derek

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Biography

American actor, director and photographer

  • Primary profession
  • Actor·director·cinematographer
  • Country
  • United States
  • Nationality
  • American
  • Gender
  • Male
  • Birth date
  • 12 August 1926
  • Place of birth
  • Hollywood
  • Death date
  • 1998-05-22
  • Death age
  • 72
  • Place of death
  • Santa Maria· California
  • Spouses
  • Bo Derek·Ursula Andress·Pati Behrs·Linda Evans
  • Parents
  • Lawson Harris

Movies

TV

Books

Awards

Trivia

In voting for 1981s RAZZIE Awards for Worst Achievements in Film, Dereks direction of Tarzan the Ape Man (starring his wife Bo Derek ) and Michael Cimino s direction of the legendary debacle Heavens Gate ran neck-and-neck. A mere handful of late ballots threw the Worst Director nod to Cimino.

Photographed the last three of his four wives for Playboy magazine.

Son of Lawson Harris and Dolores Johnson.

Father of Russell Andre Derek (April 13, 1950 - August 21, 1999) and Sean Catherine Derek (born October 16, 1953) with Pati Behrs.

Son Russell was paralyzed from the chest down due to a motorcycle accident in 1969.

In 1944 he was drafted into the United States Army and serviced in the Philippines during the last days of World War II.

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; for Andress this could have meant deportation.

In 1973, left third wife Linda Evans for seventeen-year-old Bo Derek (then Cathy Collins) during the shooting of Fantasies in Greece. The films backers were from a church organization and there was concern they would have John arrested for statutory rape, so for several months the couple lived in Germany and then Mexico until Bos eighteenth birthday.

He and Bo lived on a 32-acre ranch in Santa Ynez Valley. One of their neighbors was Michael Jackson.

Granddaughter, Alyce Derek (Russells daughter) born 1969.

Became a great-grandfather shortly before his death.

Legally changed his name from Derek Harris to John Derek.

Father-in-law of Lynette Berry, who was married to Russell from 1968 to 1983.

(June 2, 1986) Suffered a mild heart attack.

John and his wife Bo Derek were many of the Hollywood celebrities who liked to make regular weekend visits to Ralph Helfer Africa U.S.A. Exotic Animal Ranch in Soledad Canyon, California to pitch in with the chores and play with the animals.

Quotes

Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse. .

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