Charles Dierkop


Charles Richard Dierkop was an American character actor. He is most recognized for his supporting roles in the films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting and the television series Police Woman.

Early years

Dierkop was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He attended Holy Trinity Grade School and attended Aquinas High School in La Crosse. He was raised by his aunt and uncle after his father left when Dierkop was an infant and his mother "left home when he was still a tot". He broke his nose four times in fights as a youth.

Military service

Dierkop dropped out of high school after his junior year and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17. He served in Korea during the Korean War and was discharged from the Marine Corps at age 19. Upon his return, he lived with his mother in Philadelphia, and with the help of the G.I. Bill, he enrolled in the American Foundation of Dramatic Arts in Philadelphia.

Career

Dierkop was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. His first role as a professional actor was in television's Naked City.
Dierkop was cast in two George Roy Hill films, and played an outlaw both times — as "Flat Nose Curry" in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he played a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang, and as "Floyd" in The Sting, he acted as a bodyguard with Lee Paul to Robert Shaw's New York gangster/griftee, Doyle Lonnegan. He is best known for playing Detective Pete Royster on the television series Police Woman between 1974 and 1978.
Dierkop appears briefly in the music video of "Man on the Moon", a hit song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M.

Personal life and death

Dierkop was married to Joan Addis from 1958 to 1974. They had a daughter, Lynn, and a son. After Dierkop mentioned wishing to meet his father in an interview with a Milwaukee newspaper, a cousin facilitated a reunion with the man who was living on Chicago's skid row when Dierkop was 39 years old.
On February 25, 2024, Dierkop died at the age of 87 from complications of pneumonia and a heart attack at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

Television credits