THE NAME IS DAWSON, RICHARD DAWSON

Richard Dawson (born 20 November 1932) is an English-American actor, comedian, game show panelist and host. He is best known for his role as Corporal Peter Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes, being the original host of the Family Feud game show from 1976–1985 and from 1994 to 1995, and for being a regular panelist on the 1970s version of Match Game on CBS from 1973 to 1978. He is also famous for what is to date his final film role, that of Damon Killian, host of "The Running Man" in the 1987 film, The Running Man.

"It’s very important to me that on "Family Feud" I could kiss all people. It sounds crazy, but when I first came here, Petula Clark was on a show with Nat King Cole and he kissed her on the cheek and 81 stations in the South cancelled him. I kissed black women daily and nightly on "Family Feud" for 11 years and the world didn’t come to an end, did it?"

Dawson was born as Colin Lionel Emm in Gosport, Hampshire, England, to an American father and English mother. At the age of 14, he ran away from home to join the Merchant Marine, where he pursued a boxing career. After his discharge, he pursued a comedy career using the stage name Dickie Dawson; when he reached adulthood, he revised this to become Richard Dawson. This name he would later officially legalise. In the course of his career in comedy Dawson is known to have played the London Palladium.

He did not kiss the female contestants in his second run on Family Feud due to a commitment he made to his wife and daughter. Richard announces this and shows a picture of his daughter on an episode in the '94 version of the Feud -- as he is greeting one of the contestants who happened to be a former contestant of his while he was a panelist on the Match Game. The episode was featured on the 25th Anniversary of Family Feud as No. 14 on the Game Show Network's Top 25 Feud Moments.