Dawson was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes , as a regular panelist on Match Game — , and as the original host of Family Feud —, — In a radio interview with Hogan's Heroes co-star Bob Crane , Emm by this point, known by his changed name recounted how this experience severely limited his school attendance, stating that he attended school regularly for only two years. Dawson began his career in England as a stand-up comedian known as Dickie Dawson.
He was credited as Dick Dawson. Dawson had by then moved to Los Angeles. He gained fame in the television show Hogan's Heroes as Cpl. Peter Newkirk from to Following the cancellation of Hogan's Heroes , Dawson was a regular joke-telling panellist on the short-lived syndicated revival of the game show Can You Top This?
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. During Dawson's time on Match Game , he most often occupied the bottom centre seat, only sitting elsewhere in the top centre seat during one week early in the show's run.
Due to his popularity on Match Game , Dawson expressed to Goodson his desire to host a show of his own. In , during Dawson's tenure as one of Match Game 's regular panelists, Goodson began developing a spin-off game show, Family Feud , based on the "Super Match" portion of Match Game. Goodson specifically saw the show as a vehicle for Dawson, due to his popularity among Match Game contestants. Family Feud was a break-out hit, eventually surpassing the ratings of Match Game in late In , Dawson left Match Game due to a combination of the recent introduction of the "Star Wheel"—which affected his being selected for the Head-To-Head Match portion of the show's "Super Match" bonus round—and burnout from his regular appearances on both Match Game and Family Feud.
One of Dawson's trademarks on Family Feud , kissing the female contestants, earned him the nickname "The Kissing Bandit". Television executives repeatedly tried to get him to stop the kissing. The wide majority of the roughly , responses favoured the kissing. Dawson was a frequent guest host for Tonight Show host Johnny Carson , hosting 14 times during Two of the few Carson-era Tonight Show episodes that did not air on the night they were intended were guest hosted by Dawson.
