Born - November 20, 1932
Died - Not yet!
Richard Dawson was born in Gosport, England on the 20th of November, 1932.
When he was 14, he joined the Merchant Marines and served for three years.
During that time he made money boxing. He had to lie about his age, and remain
tough so the older guys wouldn't hassle him. In the late 1950's, Richard met
a British actress by the name of Diana Dors. On the 12 of April, 1959, while
in New York for an appearance on the Steve Allen Show, the two were married.
Richard and Diana had a son, Mark, in 1960 and a second son, Gary, in 1962.
They seperated in 1964 and eventually divorced in 1967. When he moved to the
states, he began acting on the well-known series "Hogan's Heroes"
in 1965. He played the loveable British Corporal Peter Newkirk. The show ended
in 1971. Not long after that, in 1973, he became a panelist on "Match
Game" and remained there until 1978. While still on "Match Game,"
he hosted his own show, which he is most remembered by, called "Family
Feud." His trademark 'kissing all the female contestants' was one of
the things that made the show a warm and friendly program, along with his
quick wit, subtle jokes, and ability to make people feel at ease with being
on camera. In 1987, Richard co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie
"The Running Man." Richard played an egotistical gameshow host,
Damon Killian, whom many say was a mirror image of himself at one time or
another, during his real-life career. When Richard was 62, he hosted the third
incarnation of "Family Feud" in 1994, but had only a short run.
On the 6th of April, 1981, the Johnson family appeared on Family Feud and
Richard was introduced to 27 year old Gretchen. They had a daughter, Shannon
Nicole, in 1990, and were married in 1991. They are still married and reside
in Beverly Hills, California. Richard is semi-retired and his recent Tv 'appearance'
was when he narrated "Tv's Funniest Gameshow Moments" on FOX in
early 2000. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, 2000 he hosted a Family Feud
marathon which was filmed in 1995. Some people hear the name 'Richard Dawson'
and may not know who you're talking about. But say his name followed by his
famous quote "Survey said," or mention 'Newkirk on "Hogan's
Heroes,"' and they're sure to know who you mean.
From the Internt Movie Database - mini-biography by Lisa Hansen, RichardDawsonFan@aol.com
Hogan's
Heroes - Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13