19 Facts About Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson's father drove a removal van and his mother worked in a munitions factory.

In September 1961, Richard Dawson began hosting a late-night talk show, the Mike Stokey Show, on Los Angeles television station KCOP-TV.

On 8 January 1963, Richard Dawson appeared on The Jack Benny Program, season 13, episode 15, as an audience member seated next to Jack, barely recognisable in glasses and false moustache.

Richard Dawson gained fame in the television show Hogan's Heroes as Cpl.

In 1968, Richard Dawson was in the film The Devil's Brigade as Private Hugh McDonald.

Richard Dawson, who had already served a year as panellist for Goodson's revival of I've Got a Secret, proved to be a solid and funny player, and was the frequent choice of contestants to participate in the Head-To-Head Match portion of the "Super-Match" bonus round, in which the contestant and a panellist of the contestant's choice had to match exactly.

Richard Dawson was a frequent guest host for Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, hosting 14 times during 1979 and 1980.

Richard Dawson parodied his TV persona in 1987's The Running Man opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, portraying the evil, egotistical game-show host Damon Killian.

Richard Dawson hosted an unsold pilot for a revival of the classic game show You Bet Your Life that was to air on NBC in 1988, but the network declined to pick up the show.

On 12 September 1994, Richard Dawson returned to Family Feud, hosting what became the last season of the show's second run after previous host Ray Combs was fired due to spiralling ratings.

Family Feud remained out of production until being revived for a third run in 1999 with new host Louie Anderson, who asked Richard Dawson to make a special appearance on the first episode to give Anderson his blessings.

Richard Dawson turned down the offer, wanting no further involvement with the show.

In 2000, Richard Dawson narrated TV's Funniest Game Shows on the Fox network.

On retiring, Richard Dawson remained in Beverly Hills, California, where he had lived since 1964.

Richard Dawson announced the birth and showed a picture of his daughter during the inaugural episode of his second stint as host of Feud in 1994 as he was greeting a contestant who had been a contestant on Match Game when he was a panelist.

Richard Dawson died at 79 from complications of esophageal cancer in Los Angeles on 2 June 2012 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Richard Dawson is interred in Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles.

Richard Dawson's death came 16 years to the day after the 1996 suicide of Family Feud successor and predecessor, Ray Combs.

Richard Dawson used to smoke almost four packs of cigarettes per day, and he was seen smoking on some episodes of Match Game, Family Feud, and Hogan's Heroes.