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Richard Dawson
AKA Colin Emm

Born: 20-Nov-1932
Birthplace: Gosport, England

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Game Show Host

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Hogan's Heroes, Family Feud

At 14, Richard Dawson ran away from home, lied about his age and joined the Merchant Marine. For a few years he made extra cash as an unsanctioned professional boxer. After three years in the Merchant Marine, Dawson studied drama, and eventually became a moderately successful cabaret and TV comedian in Britain. He came to America in the early 1960s, and had guest roles on The Jack Benny Program and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Fame came with the role of Cpl. Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes, America's favorite lovable-Nazi sit-com, from 1965-1971. When that show was cancelled, Dawson became a regular for the last two seasons of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

In the mid-1970s, Dawson was a regular on The Match Game, a ribald celebrity quiz show, where he caught the producers' attention as a guy who could ad lib funny. They set up Dawson as host of Family Feud, which became a huge hit. Dawson was famous for kissing the female contestants, and met his second wife, Gretchen Johnson, when she and her family were contestants on Family Feud. Yet there were whispers that Dawson had become thoroughly unlikable when the cameras weren't rolling. He was fired from Match Game in 1978 for perpetual grumpiness -- a detriment when the show is supposed to be funny. But Dawson's Family Feud remained hugely popular, with Dawson kissing grandmothers and asking inane questions on thousands of episodes until 1985.