Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson was an English-born actor, comedian, and television game-show host best known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on *Hogan's Heroes* and for hosting *Family Feud*.

Richard Dawson was an English-born actor, comedian, and television game-show host best known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on *Hogan's Heroes* and for hosting *Family Feud*. Born Colin Lionel Emm in Gosport, Hampshire, he became a prominent U.S. television personality and died in 2012 at age 79.

Early life

Richard Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm on 20 November 1932 in Gosport, Hampshire, England. He later moved into entertainment and adopted the stage name Richard Dawson.

Television career

Dawson became widely recognized for his role as Corporal Peter Newkirk on the television sitcom *Hogan's Heroes*. He was a regular panelist on *Match Game* from 1973 to 1978. He was the original host of *Family Feud*, first from 1976 to 1985 and again from 1994 to 1995. His hosting of *Family Feud* made him one of television's best-known game-show hosts, and his long association with U.S. game shows helped define his career.

Later life and death

Dawson remained associated with game shows and television appearances later in life. He died in Los Angeles, California, on 2 June 2012 at the age of 79 due to complications related to esophageal cancer.

Legacy

Richard Dawson is remembered as a distinctive television personality whose work connected sitcom acting with game-show hosting. His catchphrases and on-screen style helped define *Family Feud*'s early popularity. In Canada, he was widely known through syndicated American television, especially *Family Feud* and *Match Game*, which were also broadcast to Canadian audiences.