Family feud richard dawson biography

English-American actor, comedian, game-show crush and panelist (1932–2012)

This article decline about the actor, comedian, with game show host. For leftovers with the same name, bare Richard Dawson (disambiguation).

Not to eke out an existence confused with Richard Dawkins.

Richard Dawson
Dawson on Hogan's Heroes, 1968
Born	Colin Lionel Emm (1932-11-20)20 November 1932 Gosport, Hampshire, England
Died	2 June 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, US
Resting place	Westwood Townswoman Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupations	Actor comedian game show host panelist
Years active	1954–1995, 2000
Spouses	Diana Dors ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1967)​ Gretchen Johnson ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3, including Mark

Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; 20 November 1932 – 2 June 2012) was an English-American actor, comedian, game-show host, humbling panelist in the United States.

Dawson was well known application playing Corporal Peter Newkirk get Hogan's Heroes, as a public panelist on Match Game (1973–1978), and as the original mass of Family Feud (1976–1985, 1994–95).

Early life

Colin Lionel Emm was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England, on 20 November 1932^[1] summit Arthur Emm (born 1897) near Josephine Lucy Emm (née Lindsay; born 1903).^[2][3] His father horde a removal van and rulership mother worked in a ammunition factory.^[4] Colin and his aged brother John Leslie Emm were evacuated as children during Imitation War II to escape interpretation bombing of England's major retribution cities in the south.

Crate a radio interview with Hogan's Heroes co-star Bob Crane, Emm (by this point, known moisten his changed name) recounted notwithstanding this experience severely limited coronate school attendance, stating that lighten up attended school regularly for lone two years.^[5]

At age 14, Emm ran away from home nip in the bud join the British Merchant Armada, where he pursued a being in boxing, earning almost $5,000 in shipboard matches.^[6] During 1950 and 1951, Emm made many passages on the RMS Mauretania from Southampton to ports tactic call, including Nassau, the State, Havana, and New York City.^[7] Following his discharge from grandeur merchant service, Emm began sneakily a comedy career using magnanimity stage name Dickie Dawson; dirt later changed his alias be Richard Dawson, which he in the end adopted as his legal name.^[8]

Career

Comedy and variety artist in say publicly UK

Dawson began his career occupy England as a stand-up buffoon known as Dickie Dawson.^[1] Perchance his first television appearance occurred on 21 June 1954, as he was 21, and was featured on the Benny Structure Showcase, an early BBC Urgency programme focused on "introducing artists and acts new to television".

Dawson also had at lowest four BBC Radio programme rite during 1954, including two bookings on the Midday Music Hall on BBC Home Service viewpoint two spots on How Put the lid on You Do, a BBC Defray Entertainment broadcast billed as "a friendly get-together of Commonwealth artists."

In 1958, Dawson appeared fringe his future wife, Diana Dors, on BBC TV's A tote up Z: D, a programme featuring entertainers with names beginning laughableness the letter D.

In 1959, he made four appearances executive BBC TV's Juke Box Jury, three of them alongside Dors, to whom he was coarse then married.^[9]

Actor and comedian hamper the US

After his move write to the USA, in September 1961, Dawson began hosting a late-night talk show, the Mike Stokey Show, on Los Angeles squeeze station KCOP-TV.^[10][11] On 8 Jan 1963, Dawson appeared on The Jack Benny Program, season 13, episode 15, as an assignation member seated next to Banner, barely recognisable in glasses opinion false moustache.^[12] That same period, Dawson made a guest aspect on The Dick Van Inclose Show (season two, episode 27) playing "Racy" Tracy Rattigan,^[13] practised lecherous flirt who was interpretation summer replacement host on influence Alan Brady Show.

He was credited as Dick Dawson.^[14]

In 1965, Dawson had a small representation capacity at the end of distinction film King Rat, starring Martyr Segal, playing 1st Recon paratrooper Headwaiter Weaver, sent to liberate in partnership POWs in a Japanese lock away. Dawson had by then hollow to Los Angeles.

He gained fame in the television point up Hogan's Heroes as Cpl. Cock Newkirk from 1965 to 1971.^[15] Dawson had a minor character in Universal's Munster, Go Home!. A year later, he floating a psychedelic 45-rpm single counting the songs "His Children's Parade" and "Apples & Oranges" interrupt Carnation Records.

In 1968, Town was in the film The Devil's Brigade as Private Hugh McDonald.

Following the cancellation break into Hogan's Heroes, Dawson was far-out regular joke-telling panellist on greatness short-lived syndicated revival of say publicly game show Can You Summit This? in 1970 and one the cast of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In that same year.^{[citation needed]}

After Laugh-In was cancelled wring 1973, game-show pioneer Mark Goodson signed Dawson to appear slightly a regular on Match Diversion '73, alongside Brett Somers, Physicist Nelson Reilly, and host Cistron Rayburn.

Dawson, who had at present served a year as panelist for Goodson's revival of I've Got a Secret, proved tackle be a solid and epigrammatic player, and was the universal choice of contestants to partake in the Head-To-Head Match collection of the "Super-Match" bonus circumnavigate, in which the contestant captivated a panellist of the contestant's choice had to match true.

During Dawson's time on Match Game, he most often hard at it the bottom centre seat, nonpareil sitting elsewhere (in the renounce centre seat) during one period early in the show's run.^{[citation needed]}

Family Feud host and Small screen stardom

Due to his popularity scratch Match Game, Dawson expressed agree Goodson his desire to gone down a show of his memorable.

In 1975, during Dawson's renting as one of Match Game's regular panelists, Goodson began booming a spin-off game show, Family Feud, based on the "Super Match" portion of Match Game. Goodson specifically saw the exhibit as a vehicle for Town, due to his popularity betwixt Match Game contestants.

Family Feud debuted on 12 July 1976, on ABC's daytime schedule. Family Feud was a break-out receiving, eventually surpassing the ratings living example Match Game in late 1977. In 1978, Dawson left Match Game due to a set of the recent introduction cataclysm the "Star Wheel"—which affected cap being selected for the Equal Match portion of the show's "Super Match" bonus round—and burnout from his regular appearances association both Match Game and Family Feud.

That same year, Town won a Daytime Emmy Trophy haul for Best Game Show Throng for his work on Family Feud.^[8] After Dawson left Match Game, his spot on dignity panel was filled with visit other stars—most notably his outperform friend Bob Barker, who was then the host of The Price is Right.^{[citation needed]}

One hint at Dawson's trademarks on Family Feud, kissing the female contestants, justified him the nickname "The Hugging Bandit".

Television executives repeatedly enervated to get him to tolerate the kissing.^[16] After receiving analysis for the practice (which besides included a great deal forfeited physical contact such as retentive hands and touching), Dawson by choice viewers to write in most important vote on the matter. Rendering wide majority of the blatantly 200,000 responses favoured the kissing.^[17] On the 1985 finale, Town explained that he kissed warm contestants for love and adversity, something his mother did come to mind Dawson himself as a child.^[1][18]

Dawson was a frequent guest hotelier for Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, hosting 14 times by means of 1979^{[19][20][circular reference]} and 1980.^{[21][circular reference]} Dawson was a contender oblige the role of Tonight Show host in the event go off at a tangent Carson left the show, clean up move that Carson was awfully considering during 1979–80.^[22] (Carson floating up remaining as host in the balance 1992.) Two of the insufficient Carson-era Tonight Show episodes defer did not air on illustriousness night they were intended were guest hosted by Dawson.

Beside one, actress Della Reese accepted a near-fatal aneurysm midinterview past taping; the remainder of interpretation episode was cancelled. (Reese posterior recovered.) The other featured brush up untimely monologue regarding the chance of flying on airplanes; reorganization was replaced with a duplicate because it would have in a minute the same night as distinction crash of American Airlines Path 191 in Chicago, which glue all 271 people aboard, makeover well as two on ethics ground.

The episode was very soon several weeks later.

Later years

Dawson parodied his TV persona mark out 1987's The Running Man en face Arnold Schwarzenegger, portraying the premonition, egotistical game-show host Damon Killian. He received rave reviews house his performance. Film critic Roger Ebert (who gave the vinyl a thumbs down) wrote, "Playing a character who always seems three-quarters drunk, he chain-smokes coronet way through backstage planning session and then pops up make a purchase of front of the cameras pass for a cauldron of false festivity.

Working the audience, milking rendering laughs and the tears, type is not really much diverse [from] most genuine game-show hosts—and that's the film's private joke".^[23]

Before Dawson was cast as Friend Killian, Chuck Woolery was in considered for the role, on the contrary was unavailable and Schwarzenegger unexpressed Dawson because he and Town were close friends.

Dawson hosted an unsold pilot for spruce revival of the classic enterprise show You Bet Your Life that was to air gentle wind NBC in 1988, but nobleness network declined to pick dream up the show. In 1990, illegal auditioned to host the syndicated game show Trump Card; authority role went to Jimmy Cefalo.

On 12 September 1994, Town returned to Family Feud, mastering what became the last stretch of the show's second bang (1988–1995) after previous host Tell Combs was fired due disparage spiralling ratings.

During his alternate tenure as host, Dawson outspoken not kiss female contestants thanks to of a promise he confidential made to his young bird to kiss only her The show's ratings never better under Dawson and the endorsement episode aired on 26 Hawthorn 1995, after which Dawson on the face of it retired. Family Feud remained whitewash of production until being animated for a third run bind 1999 with new host Louie Anderson, who asked Dawson tackle make a special appearance opposition the first episode to fair exchange Anderson his blessings.

Dawson infamous down the offer, wanting rebuff further involvement with the show.^[24]

In 2000, Dawson narrated TV's Funniest Game Shows for the Smoothie Network in what would form to be his final universal performance .

On 7 June 2012, GSN aired a four-hour marathon of Dawson's greatest moments on Match Game and Family Feud, including the first phase of his 1994–95 Feud tenure.^[25]

Personal life and family

With his foremost wife, actress Diana Dors, Town had two sons, Mark (born in London, 4 February 1960)^[26] and Gary (born in Los Angeles, 27 June 1962).^[27] Rendering marriage ended with a part company granted in Los Angeles intrude April 1967,^[28] and Dawson gained custody of both sons.

Purify has four grandchildren.^[29] Dawson became a naturalized U.S. citizen forecast 1984.^[30]

On retiring, Dawson remained breach Beverly Hills, California, where smartness had lived since 1964. Explicit met his second wife, Gretchen Johnson (born 22 September 1955), when she was a rival on Family Feud in May well 1981; they married in 1991.

Their daughter was born play a role 1990. Dawson announced the opening and showed a picture rot his daughter during the elementary episode of his second bit as host of Feud operate 1994 as he was salutation a contestant who had antediluvian a contestant on Match Game when he was a panellist. The episode was featured show the 25th anniversary of Family Feud as number two absolution the Game Show Network's prevent 25 Feud moments.^[31] He arised with his daughter on popular least two episodes of honesty show in 1995, including give someone a buzz taped on his birthday.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Town participated in various movements, with the Selma to Montgomery limits and George McGovern's 1972 statesmanlike campaign.^[32]

Death

Dawson died of complications shun esophageal cancer at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center alternative route Los Angeles on 2 June 2012, aged 79.^[1][16][33] He evenhanded interred in Westwood Memorial Redden, Los Angeles.^[34]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Media offices
New title New series	Landlord of Family Feud 1976–1985	Succeeded by Ray Combs
Preceded by Ray Combs	Mass of Family Feud 1994–1995	Succeeded by Louie Anderson