Richard Dawson, the English-born actor and TV host who found fame in the US at the helm of game show Family Feud and in sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died.
Dawson, also a former husband of actress Diana Dors, was 79.
Born in Gosport, Hampshire, he played Corporal Peter Newkirk in World War II comedy Hogan’s Heroes for six years.
He became a panelist on TV show Match Game before hosting Family Feud for 10 years. Family Feud was copied in the UK under the name Family Fortunes.
He was Family Feud’s first host when it launched on the ABC network in 1976 and won a daytime Emmy Award in 1978 for best game show host.
Known for giving the female contestants a kiss, he met his second wife Gretchen when she was a contestant on the programme in 1981.
He left the show in 1985 but returned for one further series in 1994.
And he was not afraid to play on his TV persona when he appeared as the ruthless game show host Damon Killian alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 film The Running Man.
