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'Hogan's Heroes' actor Ivan Dixon dies

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'Hogan's Heroes' actor Ivan Dixon dies

Old 03-19-08, 11:56 AM
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'Hogan's Heroes' actor Ivan Dixon dies

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_en_tv/obit_dixon

1 hour, 18 minutes ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Actor Ivan Dixon, who brought the problems and promise of contemporary blacks to life in the film "Nothing But a Man" and portrayed the levelheaded POW Kinchloe in TV's "Hogan's Heroes," has died. He was 76.


In this March 1967 photo, actor Ivan Dixon and actress Diana Sands are seen in an episode of the ABC-TV show 'The Fugitive.

Dixon died Sunday at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte after a hemorrhage, said his daughter, Doris Nomathande Dixon of Charlotte. He had suffered complications from kidney failure, she said.

Dixon, who also directed scores of television shows, began his acting career in the late 1950s. He appeared on Broadway in William Saroyan's 1957 "The Cave Dwellers" and in playwright Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking 1959 drama of black life, "A Raisin in the Sun." In the latter, he played a Nigerian student visiting the United States, a role he repeated in the film version.

While not a hit, the 1964 "Nothing But a Man," in which Dixon co-starred with Abbey Lincoln, also drew praise as a rare, early effort to bring the lives of black Americans to the big screen.

Other film credits included "Something of Value," "A Patch of Blue" and the cult favorite "Car Wash."

"As an actor, you had to be careful," said Sidney Poitier, star of "Patch of Blue" and a longtime friend. "He was quite likely to walk off with the scene."

In 1967, Dixon starred in a CBS Playhouse drama, "The Final War of Olly Winter," about a veteran of World War II and Korea who decided that Vietnam would be his final war. The role brought Dixon an Emmy nomination for best single performance by an actor.

He was probably best known for the role of Staff Sgt. James Kinchloe on "Hogan's Heroes," the hit 1960s sitcom set in a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II.

The technically adept Kinchloe was in charge of electronic communications and could mimic German officers on the radio or phone.

Dixon was active in efforts to get better parts for blacks in movies and television, telling The New York Times in 1967: "Sponsors haven't wanted anything negative connected with their products. We must convince them that the Negro is not negative."

"Heretofore, people have thought that, to use a Negro, the story must pit black against white. Maybe we're getting to the problems of human beings who happen to be black."

While Dixon was most proud of roles such as those in "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Nothing But a Man," he had no problem about being recognized for Kinchloe, his daughter said.

"It was a pivotal role as well, because there were not as many blacks in TV series at that time," Nomathande Dixon said. "He did have some personal issues with that role, but it also launched him into directing."

Dixon also directed numerous episodes of TV shows, including "The Waltons," "The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I." and "In the Heat of the Night."

In 1973, he directed the film "The Spook Who Sat by the Door," a political drama based on a novel about a black CIA agent who becomes a revolutionary. He also directed the 1972 "blaxploitation" story "Trouble Man."

His honors included four NAACP Image Awards, the National Black Theatre Award and the Paul Robeson Pioneer Award from the Black American Cinema Society.

Born in 1931 in New York, Dixon graduated in 1954 from North Carolina Central University in Durham.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife of 53 years, Berlie Dixon of Charlotte, and a son, Alan Kimara Dixon of Oakland. At Dixon's request, no memorial or funeral is planned, the family said.

Along with Greg Morris, one of the few black actors on TV during the 60's.

Chris
Old 03-19-08, 12:10 PM
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Sad news for his family & admirers.

Since Hogan's Heroes was filled with bufoonish characters (even among the prisoners), you have to wonder if his character was written with the intelligence & dignity he portrayed or if he insisted on playing it that way...even at the expense of becoming more of a "star" on the show. Either way, he certainly made his case to all Americans regarding racial equality when given equal opportunities (along with Bill Cosby in I Spy, Greg Morris in MI, Dianne Carroll in Julia, etc.). Even as a kid when watching the show, his Sgt. Kinchloe character made an impression, and I remembered Dixon's name enough to take note of films & shows he directed. A great role model for kids of all races growing up in the 60's.
Old 03-19-08, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by creekdipper
Sad news for his family & admirers.

Since Hogan's Heroes was filled with bufoonish characters (even among the prisoners), you have to wonder if his character was written with the intelligence & dignity he portrayed or if he insisted on playing it that way...even at the expense of becoming more of a "star" on the show. Either way, he certainly made his case to all Americans regarding racial equality when given equal opportunities (along with Bill Cosby in I Spy, Greg Morris in MI, Dianne Carroll in Julia, etc.). Even as a kid when watching the show, his Sgt. Kinchloe character made an impression, and I remembered Dixon's name enough to take note of films & shows he directed. A great role model for kids of all races growing up in the 60's.
D'oh, how could I forget about Bill Cosby? I didn't watch I Spy that much, but I did like the Bill Cosby Show in the late 60's. I don't think I watched Julia, because it was a 'chic' show!

Chris
Old 03-19-08, 03:25 PM
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*sigh* Kinchloe was my favorite "Hero"


RIP
Old 03-19-08, 04:29 PM
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I think he directed some episodes of Magnum P.I. too.

Edit: Doh! Didn't notice the article already mentioned that.
Old 03-19-08, 06:12 PM
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Ivan Dixon and Arthur C. Clarke! Feels like my childhood is dying...
Old 03-19-08, 07:55 PM
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I highly recommend "The Spook Who Sat by the Door", a serious, hardcore film about revolution that stood far apart from the "blaxpoitation" product of its time.

RIP, my Brother.
Old 03-20-08, 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by mike7162
I highly recommend "The Spook Who Sat by the Door", a serious, hardcore film about revolution that stood far apart from the "blaxpoitation" product of its time.

RIP, my Brother.
Dixon was a credit to his race...the human race.

Although you may disagree with me, Mike, coming from your different "insider's" perspective, I still feel that Dixon & others like him did more good for LONG-TERM racial progress than more militant advocates (so far as changing white attitudes). I don't feel qualified to speak for black America...I can only try to imagine the impatience felt by the civil rights protesters who had been waiting for decades for fair treatment...but I can speak as a white boy growing up in a South just beginning to be integrated, and I remember wanting to be Sidney Poitier's & Bill Cosby's characters (as opposed to wanting to be LIKE their characters only in a whiter version). While I think that there needs to be a balance...I think the commercials showing black people making mistakes, getting exasperated with their kids, etc....just like us white folks...help us see each other as the same beneath the skin.

Growing up in the conflicted 60's, I didn't understand the Black Panthers, Black Muslims, etc., or the divide between my former black school friends and teammates as we got into high school (although I did get some good first-hand looks at racism while on team trips)...I just know that, in my case, I responded to the strong black character who stood up for their rights while maintaining admirable principles. Although slow to change and guilty of making their own missteps, I do feel that Hollywood did eventually "get it right" (for the most part) in trying to correct the decades of black stereotypes they had helped to perpetuate. When I saw my dad, who could be quite racist, avidly tuning in to watch programs featuring black characters (and expressing sympathy for their predicaments), I knew that something was going on. I actually think Dad identified more with Fred Sanford than Archie Bunker in the long run.

I think Dixon wanted to see the day when shows like the late, great "Frank's Place" would be the norm rather than the exception.

Just my 2 cents worth (gonna have to retire that phrase soon if the penny gets scrapped).
Old 03-20-08, 10:18 AM
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Nothing But a Man is one of my favorite films of all time. The DVD was just put out in the last year or so and it's amazing.
Old 03-20-08, 04:53 PM
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How do you pronounce "Kinchloe?"
Old 03-20-08, 04:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Doug Heffernan
How do you pronounce "Kinchloe?"
Kinch low

Chris
Old 03-20-08, 09:55 PM
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Didn't he direct CAR WASH (1976)?

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