Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson in 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, U.S.
Cause of death	Esophageal cancer
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor Comedian Game show host and panelist
Years active	1960–1995
Television	Hogan's Heroes (as Corporal Peter Newkirk) Family Feud (host; 1976–85, 1994–95) Match Game (panelist; 1973–78)
Spouse(s)	Diana Dors (m. 1959–66) (divorced; 2 children) Gretchen Johnson (m. 1991–2012) (his death; 1 child)
Children	Mark Dawson (b. 1960) Gary Dawson (b. 1962) Shannon Dawson (b. 1990)

Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; 20 November 1932 – 2 June 2012) was a British-American actor and comedian, and a game show host and panelist in the United States. Dawson was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes, being the original host of the Family Feud game show from 1976–85, and from 1994–95, and a regular panelist on the 1970s version of Match Game on CBS from 1973–78. In 1984, he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.

Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm in Gosport, Hampshire, England, on 20 November 1932 to Arthur and Josephine Emm. At the age of 14 he ran away from home to join the British Merchant Navy, where he pursued a boxing career. After his discharge, two years later, he began pursuing a comedy career using the stage name Dickie Dawson; when he reached adulthood, he revised this to become Richard Dawson, which he later legally adopted as his real name.

On 8 January 1963, Dawson appeared in an episode of the Jack Benny Program, Season 13, Episode 15. Dawson is the audience member sitting next to Jack. He is almost unrecognizable because of the glasses and fake mustache. In 1963, Dawson appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in the role of dapper entertainer "Racy Tracy" Rattigan.

In 1964, he appeared in "The Invisibles", an episode of The Outer Limits and appeared (credited as Dick Dawson) in "Anyone For Murder?", a 1964 episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He played a soldier in the 1962 film The Longest Day.

In 1965, Dawson had a small role at the end of the film King Rat, starring George Segal, playing 1st Recon paratrooper Captain Weaver, sent to liberate allied POWs in a Japanese prison. Dawson had by then moved to Los Angeles, California. He gained fame in the television show Hogan's Heroes as Cpl. Peter Newkirk from 1965 to 1971. He had a minor role in Universal's Munster, Go Home! A year later, Dawson released a psychedelic 45 rpm single including the songs "His Children's Parade" and "Apples & Oranges" on Carnation Records. In 1968, Dawson was in the film The Devil's Brigade as Private Hugh McDonald. Following the cancellation of Hogan's Heroes, he was a regular joke-telling panelist on the short-lived syndicated revival of the game show Can You Top This? in 1970.