Richard Dawson Dies at 79

Richard Dawson, the British-born coordinator of “Family Feud” whose quick-witted repartee with participants and nice spirits for the women assisted to create his system one of the most well-known activity reveals in tv record, passed away May 2 at a medical center in Los Angeles.

He was 79 and had problems from esophageal melanoma malignancy, said his son H Dawson.

The unique “Family Feud” came out in 1976 with Mr. Dawson as its celebrity and easily became one of the most-watched applications on tv. It had a easy and attractive formula: Dueling family members were welcomed to think the most typical solutions to study concerns about the most delicious dessert, the best looking acting professional and other such details.

The show’s reputation consistently surpassed that of detergent operas, another kind of household feud. At the size of its achievements, “Family Feud” shown five periods per weeks time during the day and six periods per weeks time at night with more than 40 thousand complete visitors. Mr. Dawson obtained an Emmy for best activity display coordinator in 1978.

Most People in america first realized him not for his “Family Feud” metamorphose, but as Elegant Air Power Cpl. Chris Newkirk on “Hogan’s Characters,” the traditional Sixties sit-com set in a In german prisoner-of-war camping during Community War II. In that era, many activity reveals presented stars and other superstar participants to increase their enjoyment value. Mr. Dawson — a self-taught polymath who remaining university to be a laundry washing boy in the English vendor sea — proven not only a excellent game, but a amazing gamer.

During and after his run on “Hogan’s Characters,” he became a principal of activity reveals such as “Password” and “Match Game” and gathered “years of wonderful activity enjoying,” Sam Wostbrock, co-author of “The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows,” said in an appointment. Level Goodson, an professional at the game-show development organization Goodson-Todman, drawn Mr. Dawson from “Match Game” and set up him as the coordinator of “Family Feud.”

“The primary purpose for the show’s achievements,” tv essenti Tom Shales had written in The California Publish in 1978, “is coordinator Dawson — the quickest, smartest and most beguilingly corrosive interlocutor since the overdue excellent Groucho bantered and parried on ‘You Bet Your Lifestyle.’ ”

For his exercise of getting women participants, the newspaper Every week Community Information once described Mr. Dawson as having the “kissing-est mouth on TV.” Men participants sometimes obtained different therapy. Once Mr. Dawson known as a contestant’s fit and asked, “Nine polyesters passed away to create this?”

He used the intimidate pulpit of his activity display to criticize Mom Kissinger about the Vietnam War and to create breaks about Chief executive Rich M. Nixon. Television professionals tried to control in his conduct but supported down when he in danger to stop. In his zenith, he was so well-known that he was regarded as a replace Ashton Carson when Carson temporarily regarded going from “The Today Show” in 4 decades ago.

But Mr. Dawson’s unique viewers matured mature, and as audiences’ flavor progressed, attention in activity reveals dropped. The unique “Family Feud” led to 1985 but later came back in different forms; these days Bob Harvey is the coordinator. For one period in the beginning 90's, Mr. Dawson organised “The New Household Feud.”

Mr. Dawson also showed up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Operating Man” (1987), a innovative movie that presented a villainous game-show coordinator.

Colin Lionel Emm was blessed Nov. 20, 1932, in Gosport, Britain. According to his son, he modified his name as a youthful stand-up comedian in London, uk. Coming at a gig, he was informed that he would adhere to a comedian known as Dickie Dawson. When Dickie just didn't display, the coordinators of the occurrence sent Colin Emm on level in his stead. The name trapped.

Carl Reiner saw Mr. Dawson in a funny team and welcomed him to appear in an show of “The Penis Van Dyke Show,” according to the Los Angeles Periods. Mr. Dawson was selected for “Hogan’s Heroes” in aspect because of his efficiency in the Community War II movie “King Rat” (1965).

In the overdue 50's, Mr. Dawson met and wedded Diana Dors, an English celebrity known as the English Marilyn Monroe. Their wedding led to divorce. Mr. Dawson met his second spouse, the former Gretchen Jackson, when she was a contestant on “Family Feud.” They wedded in 1991, not lengthy after Mr. Dawson became an United states resident.

In inclusion to his spouse, of Beverly Mountains, heirs consist of two kids from his first wedding, H Dawson of Million Trees, Calif., and Level Dawson of Van Nuys, Calif.; a girl from his second wedding, Shannon Dawson of Beverly Hills; and four grandkids.

He once demonstrated in an appointment on his history.

“One day I’m going to have to response for this,” he said, mentioning his activity display perform. “Up in paradise they are going to say: ‘Name?’ ‘Richard Dawson.’ ‘What did you do?’ ‘Me? Ah, well, um . . . Could I see you privately?’ ”