John Derek (1926-1998) was an American actor, filmmaker, and photographer most famous for the women to whom he was married; namely Bo Derek, Linda Evans, Ursula Andress, and Pati Behrs.
Biography from TMDB.
- August 12, 1926
- May 22, 1998 (aged 71)
- Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Actor, director, cinematographer and writer, also editor and producer
- 21 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
What are John Derek's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 18
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 8
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2
Gentle 3 · Charged 9 · Intense 7
Steady 8 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 12 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 4
Resolved 17 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 7 of 9 analyzed roles.
Show the 9 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Capt. Renato Dimorna in Mask of the Avenger (1951)
- Shapeshifteras Jed Clayton in The Last Posse (1953)
- Heroas Grad Matthews in Sea of Lost Ships (1953)
- Heroas Hajji Baba in The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954)
- Heroas Jet Cosgrave in The Outcast (1954)
- Shadowas Davey Bishop in Run for Cover (1955)
- Heroas Brock Mitchell in Fury at Showdown (1957)
- Heroas Hitchhiker in Nightmare in the Sun (1965)
- Heroas Bailey in Once Before I Die (1966)
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet10
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John Derek's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for John Derek's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
46 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Ghosts Can't Do It(1989)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Bolero(1984)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Tarzan the Ape Man(1981)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Fantasies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Love You! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Childish Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
A Boy... A Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Once Before I Die(1966)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Nightmare in the Sun(1965)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Frontier Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Exodus(1960)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Prisoner of the Volga (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
High Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Pirate of the Half Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Omar Khayyam(1957)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Flesh Is Weak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Fury at Showdown(1957)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Massacre at Sand Creek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Ten Commandments(1956)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Leather Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Run for Cover(1955)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
An Annapolis Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Prince of Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Outcast(1954)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Big Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Sea of Lost Ships(1953)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Mission Over Korea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Last Posse(1953)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap(1953)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Prince of Pirates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Thunderbirds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Scandal Sheet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Family Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Mask of the Avenger(1951)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Saturday's Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Rogues of Sherwood Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
All the King's Men(1949)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Knock on Any Door(1949)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
A Double Life(1947)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
I'll Be Seeing You(1944)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Since You Went Away(1944)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all filmsThe Nest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Career shape
Star power in the 91st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 46 titles from 1943 to 1989.
By role
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do John Derek's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the acting 56/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John Derek's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 4 categories sits near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does John Derek work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Derek's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bo Derek shares the most, 3.
Directors
- William DieterleShared titles: Omar Khayyam (1957), I'll Be Seeing You (1944)See all 2 shared titles with William Dieterle
- Nicholas RayShared titles: Run for Cover (1955), Knock on Any Door (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Nicholas Ray
Writers
- Jesse Lasky Jr.Shared titles: The Ten Commandments (1956), Mask of the Avenger (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Jesse Lasky Jr.
Actors
- Bo DerekShared titles: Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), Bolero (1984), Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Bo Derek
- Mickey KnoxShared titles: Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), Bolero (1984), Knock on Any Door (1949)See all 3 shared titles with Mickey Knox
- Trevor BardetteShared titles: Run for Cover (1955), Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953), Mask of the Avenger (1951)See all 3 shared titles with Trevor Bardette
- Anthony QuinnShared titles: Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), Mask of the Avenger (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Anthony Quinn
Composers and cinematographers
- Burnett GuffeyShared titles: The Last Posse (1953), All the King's Men (1949), Knock on Any Door (1949)See all 3 shared titles with Burnett Guffey
- R. Dale ButtsShared titles: The Outcast (1954), Sea of Lost Ships (1953)See all 2 shared titles with R. Dale Butts
- Reggie LanningShared titles: The Outcast (1954), Sea of Lost Ships (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Reggie Lanning