John Derek

Actor and director John Derek was born in Hollywood, where his striking good looks helped get him a contract with David O’ Selznick. Derek’s career took off after Humphrey Bogart made him his costar in the cultish noir Knock at Any Doors. Derek appeared in such Academy Award-nominated films as All the King’s Men, Run for Cover, The Ten Commandments and Exodus, and worked with directors like Nicholas Ray, Cecil B. DeMille, Otto Preminger and others.

He was a competent, dedicated performer even in his last, trivial roles. In the 1960s, his career in decline, he began directing his own films. Although critics panned the string of movies he made starring his three wives—Ursula Andress, Linda Evans and Bo Derek—some were box-office hits, like Tarzan, the Ape Man. This biography covers his extraordinary life and career, with extensive analysis of his films.

Michelangelo Capua is the author of several McFarland biographies of Hollywood film stars. He lives in London.

Michelangelo Capua
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 206
Bibliographic Info: 52 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7588-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3812-6
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
1. Dare 3
2. Pretty Boy 14
3. An Attempt at Stardom 25
4. Glorious and Not-So-Glorious Days 35
5. Hard Times 45
6. The Paramount Years 54
7. High and Low 64
8. Ursula 69
9. World Traveler 79
10. New Directions 87
11. Linda 94
12. Bo 101
13. Svengali Productions 107
14. Twilight’s Last Gleaming 114
Filmography and Career Record 125
Chapter Notes 187
Bibliography 191
Index 195