Derek Delevan Harris was born on the 12th August 1926, in Los Angeles, California USA, and was an actor, director and photographer. Under his stage name of John Derek, he is most noted for his roles in the movies “All the King’s Men” (1949), “The Ten Commandments” (1956), “Exodus” (1960) as well as the “Frontier Circus” western TV series. John is also “responsible” for launching Bo Derek’s acting career, his 30-years younger wife. John passed away in 1998.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth John Derek accumulated for life? How rich John Derek was? According to sources, it is estimated that the total size of John Derek’s overall net worth, as of late 2016, would be around $5 million. It was acquired through his 47 year-long career in the moviemaking industry which ended in 1990.
John Derek Net Worth $5 million
John was born in Hollywood, into the family of Dolores Johnson, an actress, and Lawson Harris, an actor and director, so it is no wonder that he managed to make a successful acting career. His acting talent as well as his handsomeness caught the attention of Oscar-winning producer David O. Selznick and Hollywood talent agent Henry Willson, which led to John Derek’s first acting engagements. He debuted in the short fantasy movie “The Nest” in 1943, but under the name Dare Harris. In 1944, he joined the US Army forces in the Philippines, witnessing the last days of World War II. Upon his return to the states, he approached the legendary Humphrey Bogart who cast him for the role of Nick Romano (Pretty Boy) in Nicholas Ray’s 1949war drama “Knock on Any Door”. Bogart also renamed him John Derek. These ventures provided the basis for John Derek’s wealth as well as helped him to establish himself in the world of acting.
Later that year, John Derek appeared in another motion picture, as Tom Stark in Robert Rossen’s drama movie “All the King’s Men”, after which John’s talent and dedication were recognized, and he started getting more prominent roles. The New York Time’s description of him as “plainly an idol for the girls” also contributed to Derek’s popularity and acting career. In 1956, he starred as Joshua in Cecil B. DeMille‘s classic “The Ten Commandments”; the role of Taha in the 1960 historical war drama “Exodus” was one of John Derek’s notable roles, as well as his appearance in the western TV series “Frontier Circus” in 1961 and 1962, in which he starred as Ben Travis. It is certain that all these roles helped John Derek to gain an impressive amount of wealth.
However, during the mid-1960s, John Derek became dissatisfied with his acting career and his roles of heroes and villains, and decided to turn to directing. He debuted as a director in 1965 with “The 26th Cavalry”, a war movie in which he also played the leading role. Later that year, John directed and appeared in the crime drama “Nightmares in the Sun”, but as a director, he is probably most remembered for his adaptation of the legendary jungle man novel – “Tarzan the Ape Man” – in which the role of Jane Parker was played by his wife, Bo Derek. His last project was the 1990 comedy/fantasy movie “Ghosts Can’t Do It”, after which he officially retired. Doubtlessly, all these ventures contributed to the overall amount of John Derek’s net worth.
When it comes to his personal life, John Derek was married four times. In 1948 he married Pati Behrs Eristoff, prima ballerina of Turkish descent, with whom he had two children. Between 1957 and 1966 John was married to Swiss actress Ursula Andress, and from 1968 to 1975, to another actress, Linda Evans. In 1976, John Derek married Bo Derek with whom he remained ’til his death at the age of 71 due to cardiovascular disease, on the 22nd May 1998 in Santa Maria, California, USA. It is an interesting fact that John, as an accomplished photographer, shot the nude pictures of the last three of his four wives for the Playboy magazine.
In 1960, John Derek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
