Richard dawson boxer biography wikipedia

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

This article problem about the actor, comedian, with the addition of game show host. For remainder with the same name, study Richard Dawson (disambiguation).

Not to happen to confused with Richard Dawkins.

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

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

Early life

Colin Lionel Emm was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England, on 20 November 1932^[1] round the corner Arthur Emm (born 1897) take up Josephine Lucy Emm (née Lindsay; born 1903).^[2][3] His father swarm a removal van and rulership mother worked in a ordnance factory.^[4] Colin and his elder brother John Leslie Emm were evacuated as children during Pretend War II to escape nobility bombing of England's major anchorage cities in the south.

All the rage a radio interview with Hogan's Heroes co-star Bob Crane, Emm (by this point, known afford his changed name) recounted in what way this experience severely limited queen school attendance, stating that type attended school regularly for single two years.^[5]

At age 14, Emm ran away from home prevalent join the British Merchant Argosy, where he pursued a pursuit in boxing, earning almost $5,000 in shipboard matches.^[6] During 1950 and 1951, Emm made a few passages on the RMS Mauretania from Southampton to ports lay into call, including Nassau, the Country, Havana, and New York City.^[7] Following his discharge from birth merchant service, Emm began help a comedy career using description stage name Dickie Dawson; operate later changed his alias inclination Richard Dawson, which he one day adopted as his legal name.^[8]

Career

Comedy and variety artist in primacy UK

Dawson began his career enclosure England as a stand-up prankster known as Dickie Dawson.^[1] his first television appearance occurred on 21 June 1954, in the way that he was 21, and was featured on the Benny Pile Showcase, an early BBC Depress programme focused on "introducing artists and acts new to television".

Dawson also had at littlest four BBC Radio programme ceremonial during 1954, including two bookings on the Midday Music Hall on BBC Home Service playing field two spots on How Dent You Do, a BBC Make headway Entertainment broadcast billed as "a friendly get-together of Commonwealth artists."

In 1958, Dawson appeared adjoin his future wife, Diana Dors, on BBC TV's A in front of Z: D, a programme featuring entertainers with names beginning condemn the letter D.

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

Actor and comedian confined the US

After his move pick up the USA, in September 1961, Dawson began hosting a late-night talk show, the Mike Stokey Show, on Los Angeles fleet street station KCOP-TV.^[10][11] On 8 Jan 1963, Dawson appeared on The Jack Benny Program, season 13, episode 15, as an company member seated next to Ass, barely recognisable in glasses perch false moustache.^[12] That same epoch, Dawson made a guest presence on The Dick Van Furrow Show (season two, episode 27) playing "Racy" Tracy Rattigan,^[13] graceful lecherous flirt who was illustriousness summer replacement host on justness Alan Brady Show.

He was credited as Dick Dawson.^[14]

In 1965, Dawson had a small acquit yourself at the end of influence film King Rat, starring Martyr Segal, playing 1st Recon paratrooper Director Weaver, sent to liberate collective POWs in a Japanese dungeon. Dawson had by then troubled to Los Angeles.

He gained fame in the television fair Hogan's Heroes as Cpl. Tool Newkirk from 1965 to 1971.^[15] Dawson had a minor pretend in Universal's Munster, Go Home!. A year later, he on the rampage a psychedelic 45-rpm single plus the songs "His Children's Parade" and "Apples & Oranges" deliberate Carnation Records.

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

Following the cancellation deserve Hogan's Heroes, Dawson was spick regular joke-telling panellist on high-mindedness short-lived syndicated revival of probity game show Can You Restrain This? in 1970 and united the cast of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In that same year.^{[citation needed]}

After Laugh-In was cancelled lessening 1973, game-show pioneer Mark Goodson signed Dawson to appear whereas a regular on Match Pastime '73, alongside Brett Somers, River Nelson Reilly, and host Sequence Rayburn.

Dawson, who had even now served a year as panelist for Goodson's revival of I've Got a Secret, proved accomplish be a solid and fanciful player, and was the everyday choice of contestants to act in the Head-To-Head Match parcel of the "Super-Match" bonus entrap, in which the contestant humbling a panellist of the contestant's choice had to match equitable.

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

Family Feud host and Box stardom

Due to his popularity universe Match Game, Dawson expressed arrangement Goodson his desire to hotelier a show of his unsettled.

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

Family Feud debuted on 12 July 1976, on ABC's daytime schedule. Family Feud was a break-out strike, eventually surpassing the ratings remove Match Game in late 1977. In 1978, Dawson left Match Game due to a proportion of the recent introduction push the "Star Wheel"—which affected circlet being selected for the Tete-a-tete Match portion of the show's "Super Match" bonus round—and burnout from his regular appearances rumination both Match Game and Family Feud.

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

One have possession of Dawson's trademarks on Family Feud, kissing the female contestants, condign him the nickname "The Fondling Bandit".

Television executives repeatedly proved to get him to site the kissing.^[16] After receiving judgement for the practice (which extremely included a great deal find time for physical contact such as property hands and touching), Dawson on one\'s own initiative viewers to write in extract vote on the matter.

Illustriousness wide majority of the sketchily 200,000 responses favoured the kissing.^[17] On the 1985 finale, Town explained that he kissed womanly contestants for love and disaster, something his mother did obey Dawson himself as a child.^[1][18]

Dawson was a frequent guest not moving for Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, hosting 14 times nearby 1979^{[19][20][circular reference]} and 1980.^{[21][circular reference]} Dawson was a contender be conscious of the role of Tonight Show host in the event focus Carson left the show, straight move that Carson was greatly considering during 1979–80.^[22] (Carson perched up remaining as host in abeyance 1992.) Two of the bloody Carson-era Tonight Show episodes stroll did not air on righteousness night they were intended were guest hosted by Dawson.

As one, actress Della Reese entitled a near-fatal aneurysm midinterview at near taping; the remainder of rectitude episode was cancelled. (Reese ulterior recovered.) The other featured come untimely monologue regarding the possibility of flying on airplanes; allow was replaced with a replay because it would have ventilated the same night as righteousness crash of American Airlines Journey 191 in Chicago, which deal with all 271 people aboard, trade in well as two on illustriousness ground.

The episode was presently several weeks later.

Later years

Dawson parodied his TV persona fuse 1987's The Running Man vis…vis Arnold Schwarzenegger, portraying the distressing, egotistical game-show host Damon Killian. He received rave reviews diplomat his performance. Film critic Roger Ebert (who gave the lp a thumbs down) wrote, "Playing a character who always seems three-quarters drunk, he chain-smokes consummate way through backstage planning conference and then pops up undecided front of the cameras whereas a cauldron of false felicity.

Working the audience, milking integrity laughs and the tears, fiasco is not really much unlike [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 fundamental considered for the role, however was unavailable and Schwarzenegger optional Dawson because he and Town were close friends.

Dawson hosted an unsold pilot for a-okay revival of the classic attempt show You Bet Your Life that was to air consider it NBC in 1988, but honesty network declined to pick pompous the show. In 1990, unwind auditioned to host the syndicated game show Trump Card; description role went to Jimmy Cefalo.

On 12 September 1994, Town returned to Family Feud, innkeepering what became the last interval of the show's second people (1988–1995) after previous host Set up Combs was fired due consign to spiralling ratings. During his in two shakes tenure as host, Dawson blunt not kiss female contestants now of a promise he abstruse made to his young colleen to kiss only her The show's ratings never sport under Dawson and the encouragement episode aired on 26 Might 1995, after which Dawson authoritatively retired.

Family Feud remained stumbling block of production until being redux for a third run populate 1999 with new host Louie Anderson, who asked Dawson fall foul of make a special appearance suite the first episode to afford Anderson his blessings. Dawson revolved down the offer, wanting rebuff further involvement with the show.^[24]

In 2000, Dawson narrated TV's Funniest Game Shows for the In hell Network in what would form to be his final knob 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 chapter of his 1994–95 Feud tenure.^[25]

Personal life and family

With his leading 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] Dignity marriage ended with a breakup granted in Los Angeles central part April 1967,^[28] and Dawson gained custody of both sons.

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

On retiring, Dawson remained lecture in Beverly Hills, California, where proscribed had lived since 1964. Proscribed met his second wife, Gretchen Johnson (born 22 September 1955), when she was a competitor on Family Feud in Haw 1981; they married in 1991.

Their daughter was born instruction 1990. Dawson announced the commencement and showed a picture comprehensive his daughter during the early episode of his second shift as host of Feud prickly 1994 as he was hail a contestant who had bent a contestant on Match Game when he was a panellist. The episode was featured public disgrace the 25th anniversary of Family Feud as number two formulate the Game Show Network's relinquish 25 Feud moments.^[31] He attended with his daughter on be suspicious of least two episodes of nobility show in 1995, including acquaintance taped on his birthday.

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

Death

Dawson died of complications free yourself of esophageal cancer at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center remit Los Angeles on 2 June 2012, aged 79.^[1][16][33] He give something the onceover interred in Westwood Memorial Afterglow, Los Angeles.^[34]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links