Richard Dawson - Famous Comedian

Richard Dawson Net Worth

$100,000

The late famous actor, comedian, and game show host Richard Dawson had a net worth of $100 thousand at the time of his death in 2012. Best known for his role as Cpl. Newkirk on Hogan’s Heroes, Dawson also hosted the hit game show Family Feud which led him to meet his second wife and make a lasting impact on television history.

Key facts:

The key facts about Richard Dawson mentioned in the text are as follows:
  • Richard Dawson ran away from home when he was only 14 years old and joined the Merchant Marines by lying about his age.
  • He was a successful cabaret and TV comedian in Britain before moving to Los Angeles in the early 196s and becoming a regular guest on The Jack Benny Program and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
  • Dawson gained widespread fame for his role as Cpl. Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes, a sit-com from 1965 to 1971, and with the game show Family Feud, which he hosted for the majority of the time from 1976 to 1995.
  • He was fired from Match Game in 1978 for his grumpiness and played a murderous game show host in The Running Man (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • After some years during which he did not do much work, Dawson passed away in 2012 due to complications from esophageal cancer.

Basic Information About Richard Dawson

CategoryCelebrities β€Ί Actors
ProfessionsComedian, Actor, Game Show Host
Net worth$100,000
Date of birth1932-11-20
Place of birthGosport
Date of death2012-06-02 (aged 79)
NationalityUnited States of America
Curiosities and TrademarksOften closed the show with the phrase, "Love ya, we'll see you here on the Feud."
Kissed the female contestants, earning him the nickname "The Kissing Bandit"
Performing a Donald Duck impersonation
The catchphrase - "Survey Says!"
SpouseGretchen Johnson - (1991 - 2 JuneΒ 2012)Β (his death)Β (1 child)
Diana Dors - (12 AprilΒ 1959 - 1966)Β (divorced)Β (2 children)
GenderMale
Height5 ft 8 in (1.75 m)
Social Mediaβ†—οΈŽ Wikipedia β†—οΈŽ IMDb

What Movie Awards did Richard Dawson win?


Oscar

Golden Globe

Golder Raspberry

BAFTA

Other
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Richard Dawson awards

Award Name State Movie / Series Name Year
Saturn Award - Best Supporting ActorWinnerThe Running Man1988
Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Game or Audience Participation ShowWinnerFamily Feud1978

Richard Dawson roles

Movie / Series Role
Uncle FrankSelf - Guest on The Merv Griffin Show (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Longest DayBritish Soldier (uncredited)
The Devil's BrigadePvt. Hugh MacDonald
Promises..... Promises!(uncredited)
Match Game PMSelf - Panelist 121 episodes, 1975-1978
Mama's FamilyRichard Dawson 1 episode, 1983
Love, American StyleDanny (segment "Love and the Hiccups") / ... 3 episodes, 1971-1972
The Gong ShowPanelist 1 episode, 1976
The Outer LimitsOliver Fair 1 episode, 1964
The Love BoatBert Buchanan 1 episode, 1978
TattletalesSelf 11 episodes, 1974-1977
The Dating GameSelf - Guest star contestant 1 episode, 1968
The Alfred Hitchcock HourRobert Johnson 1 episode, 1964
Match Game 73Self - Panelist 1,279 episodes, 1973-1978
Fantasy IslandHarry Beamus 1 episode, 1978
Hogan's HeroesNewkirk / ... 168 episodes, 1965-1971
The Tonight Show with Jay LenoSelf 1 episode, 1994
The New Dick Van Dyke ShowRichard Richardson 7 episodes, 1973-1974
Laugh-InRegular Performer / ... 41 episodes, 1968-1973

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?

Richard Dawson's photos

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.

References & Fact Checks βœ…

1/ Filename: richard-dawson-family-feud-1976-408E1b7w.jpg
  • Checked: βœ… Yes (2023-07-02 16:15:05)
  • Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Dawson_Family_Feud_1976.JPG
  • Original Source:

    eBay item photo front

    photo back
  • Author: ABC Television
  • Date taken: 22 June 1976

Richard Dawson Famous Network

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