Charles Dierkop was an actor best known for his performances in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” and “Police Woman.”
- Died: February 25, 2024 (Who else died on February 25?)
- Details of death: Died at a Los Angeles hospital of complications from pneumonia and a heart attack at the age of 87.
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Charles Dierkop’s legacy
Dierkop was often known for playing heavies, a trend that began with one of his earliest films. In “The Hustler,” he was credited simply as “Pool Room Hood.” He would go on to work with its star, Paul Newman (1925–2008), again. In “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” he played Flat Nose Curry, a member of the Wild Bunch gang. And in “The Sting,” he played Floyd, bodyguard to Robert Shaw’s (1927–1978) Doyle Lonnegan, who sat menacingly in the background of poker games. Dierkop’s other movies included “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” “Night of the Cobra Woman,” and “Silent Night, Deadly Night.”
On TV, Dierkop costarred on “Police Woman” as Detective Pete Royster, appearing in every episode over the show’s four-season run. He had a memorable role on the 1967 “Star Trek” episode “Wolf in the Fold,” playing the Argelian accused murderer Morla. Dierkop’s many other TV appearances included “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Batman,” “Kung Fu,” “Mannix,” “Kojak,” “Fantasy Island,” “Days of Our Lives,” “The Fall Guy,” “MacGyver,” and “ER.” He also had a small role in the music video for the 1992 R.E.M. single “Man on the Moon.”
Notable quote
“Years ago, we didn’t have monitors when you were shooting. They would do what they call rushes. During the afternoon, during lunch hour, they would show the rushes from the shooting of the day before. I happened to go to the rushes this one day, and it was a close-up on me, a full-length close-up. There wasn’t much dialogue for me, but a lot of listening. My big face was up on the screen and all I could see was my eyes flipping, bip bip bip bip bip. I was blinking, blinking, blinking. Oh my god. I went back to continue shooting that afternoon and I was like a zombie. I made sure that I didn’t move my eyeballs at all.” —from a 2017 interview for StarTrek.com
Tributes to Charles Dierkop
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
