Photo: Richard Dawson and Ulla Stromstedt in Hogan's Heroes - 1968.jpg: Maury Foldare & Associates, Beverly Hills-publicity agency derivative work: EditorE / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Richard Dawson fascinates me as a pioneer of the personality-driven host, the man who made the audience feel he was genuinely on their side. Born Colin Lionel Emm in Gosport, he proved his acting range as Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes before owning daytime television as the original Family Feud host. His habit of kissing contestants courted controversy, yet that very warmth was his signature weapon, and the Daytime Emmy confirmed his mastery. To me he embodies a vanished era when a host's charisma alone could anchor a hit, and he deserves a permanent place in television history.
Overview
Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; 20 November 1932 – 2 June 2012) was an English actor, comedian, game-show host, and panelist. He was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes, as a regular panelist on Match Game (1973–1978), and as the original host of Family Feud (1976–1985, 1994–1995).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Dawson
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・ドーソン
- Reading
- りちゃーど・どーそん
- Born
- November 20, 1932 – June 2, 2012
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Monkey
- Origin
- Gosport, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / actor / television presenter / comedian
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard%20Dawson
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.