# John Beck (actor)

John Beck (born January 28, 1943) is an American retired actor, known best for his role as Mark Graison in the television series Dallas during the mid-1980s.

## Early life

Beck was born in Chicago, Illinois but he grew up in Evanston and Joliet on his father's ranch, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. His goals changed at the age of sixteen after performing in a play in high school to overcome shyness. Three years later, Beck relocated to California and had jobs in television commercials. In 1963–1964, Beck attended Joliet Junior College but quit to begin acting in plays in other cities.

## Career

Beck's television debut was as a Sergeant in the 1965 episode "Russian Roulette" of the television series I Dream of Jeannie. His first regular role was for the television western series Nichols (1971-1972) alongside James Garner, playing the roles of Orv/Ketcham.
One of Beck's earliest movie roles was as Skinny in Cyborg 2087 (1966). Beck played Erno who commands a revolt against a totalitarian government in Woody Allen's science fiction comedy Sleeper (1973). That same year, he appeared as John W. Poe in the Sam Peckinpah western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. In 1975, he appeared opposite James Caan as Moonpie in the science-fiction film Rollerball. The following year he played Shoulders in the disaster movie spoof The Big Bus (1976). He had a leading role in The Other Side of Midnight (1977), which the critics condemned, but the movie was a financial success. Other movie credits include Audrey Rose (1977), Deadly Illusion (1987), In the Cold of the Night (1990), A Climate for Killing (1991), Last Time Out (1994), Black Day Blue Night (1995), Dark Planet (1997), A Place to Grow (1998), Chain of Command (2000), Crash Point Zero (2001), Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision (2003), and Crash Landing (2005).
Beck also had guest roles for television series and movies, one of the most popular being his 67-episode stint as Mark Graison on Dallas. Guest appearances include those for Baywatch, Bonanza, Death Valley Days, Diagnosis: Murder, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Magnum, P.I., Mannix, Matlock, Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Murder, She Wrote, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Touched by an Angel, The Twilight Zone (1989), and Walker, Texas Ranger, among others.
Recurring soap opera roles include Dorian Blake in Peyton Place: The Next Generation, Sam Curtis in Flamingo Road, David Raymond in Santa Barbara, and Bruce in Passions.
As a voice actor, Beck played the role of the Punisher, Frank Castle in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

## Personal life

On April 23, 1971, in Los Angeles, Beck married Valerie Shellibeer (also known by her stage name, Tina Carter). The couple had a son and three daughters.

## Filmography

A partial filmography follows.

### Film

* Cyborg 2087 (1966) as Skinny
* A Good Time with a Bad Girl (1967) as Cowboy (uncredited)
* Three in the Attic (1968) as Jake
* Lawman (1971) as Jason Bronson
* Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971) as Lulash
* Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) as Poe
* Paperback Hero (1973) as Pov
* Sleeper (1973) as Erno Windt
* Only God Knows (1974) as Reverend Philip Norman
* Nightmare Honeymoon (1974) as Lee
* Rollerball (1975) as Moonpie
* The Big Bus (1976) as Shoulders
* Sky Riders (1976) as Ben
* Audrey Rose (1977) as Bill Templeton
* The Other Side of Midnight (1977) as Larry Douglas
* Deadly Illusion (1987) as Alex Burton
* In the Cold of the Night (1990) as Rudy
* A Climate for Killing (1991) as Kyle Shipp
* Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) as Waiter (uncredited)
* Last Time Out (1994) as Joe Dolan
* Black Day Blue Night (1995) as Chief Morris Reed
* Dark Planet (1997) as General
* A Place to Grow (1998) as Paul Shuler
* Chain of Command (2000) as General Peterson
* The Alternate (2000) as President Fallbrook
* Militia (2000) as Dep. Dir. Anderson
* Crash Point Zero (2001) as Dr. Maurice Hunter
* Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision (2003) as O'Rourke
* Crash Landing (2005) as General McClaren

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965 | I Dream of Jeannie | Sergeant | "Russian Roulette' |
| 1966 | Days of Our Lives | Sam Wilson | |
| 1969 | Bonanza | Walt Nagel | "The Medal" |
| 1969 | Death Valley Days | Sandy Peters | "Solomon's Glory" |
| 1969 | Mannix | Jerry Boyes | "Color Her Missing" |
| 1969 | The Mod Squad$^{:333}$ | Bill | "A Seat by the Window" |
| 1969 | The Silent Gun | Billy Reed | TV Movie |
| 1970 | Bonanza$^{:160}$ | Luke Baldwin | "What Are Pardners For?" |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Albert Vail | "Kiowa" |
| 1970 | Lancer | Chad Buford | "Chad" |
| 1970 | Lancer | Chad Lancer | "Dream of Falcons" |
| 1971 | Gunsmoke | Moody Fowler | "The Tycoon" |
| 1971 | Lock, Stock and Barrel | Micah Brucker | TV Movie |
| 1971 | Mission: Impossible | John Hecker | "The Missile" |
| 1971-1972 | Nichols | Orv Ketcham | 23 episodes |
| 1974 | Hawaii Five-O$^{:213}$ | Walter Stark | "Nightmare in Blue" |
| 1974 | Nourish the Beast | Bruno | TV Movie |
| 1974 | The Law | Gene Carey | TV Movie |
| 1974 | Sidekicks | Luke | TV Movie |
| 1975 | Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan | Rev. George Greg | TV Movie |
| 1975 | Gunsmoke | Mitch Hansen | "The Busters" |
| 1976 | The Call of the Wild | John Thornton | TV Movie |
| 1978 | Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Samson | "Samson and Delilah" |
| 1978 | The Time Machine | Neil Perry | TV Movie |
| 1978 | Wheels | Peter Flodenhale | TV Mini Series (episode 1) |
| 1979 | The Buffalo Soldiers | Col. Frank "Buckshot" O'Connor | TV Movie |
| 1979 | Time Express | Roy Culper | "Rodeo/Cop" |
| 1980-1982 | Flamingo Road | Sam Curtis | 38 episodes |
| 1980 | The Great American Traffic Jam (aka Gridlock) | Buzz Gregory | TV Movie |
| 1981 | Tales of the Unexpected | Jack | "A Glowing Future" |
| 1983-1986 | Dallas | Mark Graison | 67 Episodes |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Web McCord | "Sudden Death" |
| 1985 | Peyton Place: The Next Generation | Dorian Blake | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Crazy Dan | "Crazy" Dan Gatlin | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Matlock | Brad Bingham | The Seduction |
| 1987 | Magnum, P.I. | Edward T. Durant | "Limbo" |
| 1988 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake | Doug Vickers | TV Movie |
| 1989 | Fire and Rain | Captain Edward Conners | TV Movie |
| 1989 | The Twilight Zone | Maj. Alex McAndrews | "The Wall" |
| 1991 | Murder, She Wrote$^{:249}$ | Ben Olston | "Thursday's Child" |
| 1991-1992 | Santa Barbara | David Raymond | 114 Episodes |
| 1993 | Diagnosis: Murder | Detective Eugene Vickers | "Vanishing Act" (2 episodes) |
| 1993 | Trade Winds | Robert Philips | TV Mini Series (episodes 1–3) |
| 1994 | Baywatch | Buzz Buchannon | "Coronado del Soul" (2 episodes) |
| 1994 | Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders | Detective Les Zoeller | TV Movie |
| 1994 | Matlock | Paul Cox | "The Idol" |
| 1994 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Raymond Boone | "Tribunal" |
| 1995 | Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart | Captain Jeremy Daniels | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Spider-Man: The Animated Series | Punisher / Frank Castle (voice) | "Neogenic Nightmare" (2 episodes) |
| 1995 | Suspect Device | CIA Director | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Touched by an Angel | Captain Meyers | "Trust" |
| 1996 | Time Well Spent | Cal Clevenger | TV Movie |
| 1996 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Sergeant Lou Ross | "The Brotherhood" |
| 1997 | Spider-Man: The Animated Series | Punisher / Frank Castle (voice) | "Partners in Danger Chapter 8: The Return of the Green Goblin" |
| 1997 | Steel Chariots | Dale Tucker | TV Movie |
| 1997 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Max Elson | "Rainbow's End" |
| 2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Jake Foley | "Showdown at Casa Diablo: Part 1" |
| 2001-2003 | Passions | Bruce | 22 episodes |
| 2002 | Project Viper | Simpkins | TV Movie |