Montana Man
Although he doesn't look it, Dirk was born in 1945 so, technically, he could claim a free bus pass (if he ever needed one). He grew up in the small town of White Sulphur Springs, Montana and returned there after his many years in Hollywood.

What's in a name?
Dirk's real surname is actually Niewoehner, but his agent suggested he change it to something a little more catchy. The pair were having an early morning meeting at the time, and Dirk was tucking into a breakfast of Eggs Benedict. The rest is history.

Family Faceman
Dirk has three sons; John, born in 1968, and two younger sons with ex-wife Toni (George born in 1988, and Roland born in 1991). Dirk loves being a dad and says it's been his favourite 'role' to date. Ahhh. It was actually his sons who persuaded him to go on Celebrity Big Brother saying it would get him out of his comfort zone. They got that right.

Cult Career
Dirk's acting career covers almost three decades, and he's acted on stage as well as television and film. He's perhaps most famous for his cult TV roles as Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica and Templeton 'Face' Peck in the A-Team. Justin Lee Collins raised his profile again on British TV in 'Bring Back the A-Team'.

Cancer curer
In 1974, Dirk was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the tender age of 30. However, he refused to have surgery and claims to have cured himself by eating a macrobiotic diet (lots of pulses and vegetables and no red meat) in combination with a strict regime of fasting and exercise.

The write stuff
Dirk wrote a book about his experiences with cancer called 'Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy'. He's also written another book about fatherhood 'And Then We Went Fishing'. Most recently he directed his own screenplay 'Cahoots' which has been released as an independent film.