Richard Dawson Net Worth

Richard Dawson's Quotes

• Be nice to each other. You can make a whole day a different day for everybody.
• [When the male hunks thought they'd won the game] It's wonderful to win, but don't get cocky about it!
• I'm a hustler. I'm a smartass, but I love people.
• They kept us on the air probably a year more than they should have. We were burying them. [in 1985, on ABC's cancellation of Family Feud (1976)].
• It's important to me that on 'Family Feud' I could kiss all the 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 eighty-one stations in the South canceled him. I kissed black women daily and nightly on 'Family Feud' and the world didn't come to an end, did it?

Interesting Facts about Richard Dawson

1. Joined the Merchant Marines at 14 and stayed for 3 years.
2. Hosted Thanksgiving Day "Family Feud Marathon" in 1995, aired November 23rd, 2000.
3. Became a US citizen in 1984 and showed his passport and photo to America during the intro to a Family Feud (1976) episode.
4. Met his second wife Gretchen Johnson (IV) when she was a contestant on Family Feud (1976) in 1981.
5. Hosted Family Feud (1976) for a total of ten years: nine consecutive years (1976-85) and returned for one season nine years later in 1994.
6. During an interview early in the Family Feud (1976) run, he revealed that he enjoyed wearing and collecting T-shirts (a huge fad in the 1970s). Shortly afterward, the custom began of families on the show presenting him a shirt early in the game, usually during the "introduce the family members" portion. As a result, he has one of the largest collections of unique and rare T-shirts in the world.
7. Won the Password (1961) All-Stars Grand Master Championship in 1975 against Betty White, Bill Bixby, and Hal Linden. He gave his winnings to a children's charity.
8. Picked up the nickname "The Kissing Bandit" during the initial run of Family Feud (1976) because he greeted every attractive female contestant with a kiss.
9. Best remembered by the public for his role as Cpl. "Peter Newkirk" in the television series Hogan's Heroes (1965) and as the host of Family Feud (1976).
10. Before Family Feud (1988) was revived in 1988, producer Mark Goodson would not allow him to come back as host, because of conflicts with the producers. Instead, he wanted to restart the show with a new host, so he hired Ray Combs. After Goodson's death in December 1992, his son Jonathan M. Goodson took over the show's production company and, in a failed attempt to boost the declining ratings, replaced Combs with Dawson in 1994.
11. On the final week of Family Feud (1976), his devoted fan and friend, Alex Trebek ,appeared on the show.
12. Before he was an actor, comedian and game show host, he worked as a waiter.
13. When the third incarnation of Family Feud (1999) debuted, comedian Louie Anderson invited him to come on the premiere episode to give him his blessing, but he refused.
14. After his divorce from Diana Dors, he continued to send flowers to his ex-wife on her birthday, every year, and always defended her.
15. Was offered the lead role as Capt. Robert Hogan in Hogan's Heroes (1965), but refused it because his voice did not sound American enough, hence, the role was given to Bob Crane. He was then offered the role of Cpl. Peter Newkirk, which he accepted.
16. Was not the first choice to host the original Family Feud (1976) for ABC, when Mark Goodson found out that Geoff Edwards was under contract with both Chuck Barris and Bob Stewart, hence, he was unavailable to host the show's pilot.
17. Had five biggest winners in the nine years of hosting the ABC version of Family Feud (1976), each of them were all five-time undefeated families: in first place, the Rizzo Family had won $33,000+ during the last season of the show; in second place, the McManus Family had won $30,204 in 1984' in third place, the Larkey Family had won $29,170 during the first season of the show; in fourth place, the Tack Family had won $29,197 in 1980; and in fifth place, the Panatonni Family had won $29,916 in 1981.
18. Originated the phrase "Survey says", for Family Feud (1976), which every host after him used as well.
19. Long before Kathy Najimy became an actress, she was one of his winning contestants on "Family Feud" (1976).
20. When he replaced Ray Combs as host of Family Feud (1988) in 1994, he made a promise to his daughter that he wouldn't do anymore kissing with the female contestants.