Ivan Dixon

Ivan Dixon, (April 6, 1931, (New York City, New York) – March 16, 2008 (Charlotte, North Carolina)) was an Emmy Award-nominated American actor and television director best known for his role as Sergeant James Kinchloe in the television series Hogan's Heroes. Dixon played Kinchloe for the first five years of the series, being the only main cast member to leave before the series' final season. He also appeared in several other TV shows and films, including the 1976 cult classic Car Wash, as Lonnie.

Born in the Harlem section of New York City, where his family owned a grocery store, Dixon graduated from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina in 1954 with a drama degree. He began acting in the late 1950s, appearing on Broadway in William Saroyan's The Cave Dwellers and later Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking drama, A Raisin in the Sun, later appearing in the film version. Moving to Hollywood, he started out as a stuntman. Dixon first screen credit was in the film, Something of Value in 1957. He would later appear in such films as Porgy and Bess, The Defiant Ones, Nothing But a Man, in which he played the lead role, To Trap a Spy, Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came and Car Wash, as well as the CBS Playhouse episode, The Final War of Olly Winter, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding single performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama, and the TV miniseries Amerika, where he played a doctor and guerilla leader in post-Soviet invasion Nebraska. Perhaps his most memorable scene in the miniseries was his dramatic rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, which had been banned by the puppet government led by Robert Urich. He would also appeared in such television shows as Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, The Defenders, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Ironside and The F.B.I.. His last television appearance would be on The Father Dowling Mysteries.

From 1970 to 1993, Dixon directed a number of episodes for several television shows, including The Waltons, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, The Rockford Files, The A-Team, Airwolf and In the Heat of the Night. He would also direct the films, The Spook Who Sat by the Door and Trouble Man.

While working in Hollywood, he was active in efforts to get better acting roles for African Americans in both film and television. He would also receive, besides his Emmy nomination, four NAACP Image Awards, the National Black Theatre Award and the Paul Robeson Pioneer Award from the Black American Cinema Society. Dixon moved to Hawaii, where in 1990, as President of his company, Dixon Broadcasting, Inc., he obtained a Federal Communications Commission construction permit, and then built and ran radio station, KONI-FM in Lunai City, Hawaii, which started operations in 1993. He also established a movie production company, Dixon Productions Inc. in Hawaii in 1998, although operating in both Hawaii and California. In 2001, he would sell the station to George Hoffman, and left the islands for health reasons, moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, and then sold the radio station in 2002.

On March 16, 2008, Dixon died at the Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte after a hemorrhage and of complications from kidney failure.

Filmography

 * Amerika (1987) (mini) (TV)
 * Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (1986) (TV)
 * Car Wash (1976)
 * Fer-de-Lance (1974) (TV)
 * Clay Pigeon (1971)
 * Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970)
 * Where's Jack? (1969)
 * Hogan's Heroes (1965) (TV)
 * A Patch of Blue (1965)
 * Nothing But a Man (1964)
 * Too Late Blues (1962) (uncredited)
 * Battle at Bloody Beach (1961)
 * A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
 * Porgy and Bess (1959)
 * Something of Value (1957)

Notable TV Guest Appearances

 * Father Dowling Mysteries playing "Rev. Johnson" in episode: "The Joyful Noise Mystery" (episode # 3.22) 24 January 1991
 * Love, American Style playing "Actor" in episode: "Love and the Baby" (episode # 3.9a) 12 November 1971
 * The F.B.I. in episode: "The Deadly Pact" (episode # 6.8) 8 November 1970
 * Insight playing "Billy Carter" in episode: "The Invincible Weapon" 15 May 1970
 * The Mod Squad playing "Actor" in episode: "Return to Darkness, Return to Light" (episode # 2.23) 17 March 1970
 * The Name of the Game playing "Mayor Conway 'Connie' Walker" in episode: "The Incomparable Connie Walker" (episode # 1.18) 24 January 1969
 * The Name of the Game playing "John X. Lee" in episode: "The Black Answer" (episode # 1.13) 13 December 1968
 * It Takes a Thief playing "Gen. Kristoff" in episode: "Get Me to the Revolution on Time" (episode # 2.5) 22 October 1968
 * The Jonathan Winters Show playing "Himself" in episode: "Episode #1.1" (episode # 1.1) 27 December 1967
 * Ironside playing "Charles 'Bat' Masterson" in episode: "Let My Brother Go" (episode # 1.8) 2 November 1967
 * Felony Squad playing "Terry Carew" in episode: "The Deadly Junkman" (episode # 2.6) 3 October 1967
 * The Fugitive playing "Ambassador Unawa" in episode: "Dossier on a Diplomat" (episode # 4.26) 28 March 1967
 * CBS Playhouse playing "Olly Winter" in episode: "The Final War of Olly Winter" (episode # 1.1) 29 January 1967
 * Hogan's Heroes playing "Sergeant James Kinchloe/Price Makabana" in episode: "The Prince from the Phone Company" (episode # 1.26) 18 March 1966
 * The Hollywood Palace playing "Himself - Sketch Actor" in episode: "Episode #3.13" (episode # 3.13) 25 December 1965
 * I Spy playing "Elroy Brown" in episode: "So Long, Patrick Henry" (episode # 1.1) 15 September 1965
 * The Outer Limits playing "Sgt. James Conover" in episode: "The Inheritors: Part 2" (episode # 2.11) 28 November 1964
 * The Outer Limits playing "Sgt. James Conover" in episode: "The Inheritors: Part 1" (episode # 2.10) 21 November 1964
 * The Fugitive playing "Dr. Towne" in episode: "Escape into Black" (episode # 2.9) 17 November 1964
 * Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre playing "Forest" in episode: "Murder in the First" (episode # 2.2) 9 October 1964
 * The Man from U.N.C.L.E. playing "Soumarin" in episode: "The Vulcan Affair" (episode # 1.1) 22 September 1964
 * The Defenders playing "John Bird" in episode: "The Non-Violent" (episode # 3.33) 3 June 1964
 * Dr. Kildare playing "Detective" in episode: "Night of the Beast" (episode # 3.30) 23 April 1964
 * The Eleventh Hour playing "Oren Webson" in episode: "The Color of Sunset" (episode # 2.30) 22 April 1964
 * The Twilight Zone playing "Reverend Anderson" in episode: "I am the Night - Color Me Black" (episode # 5.26) 27 March 1964
 * The Great Adventure playing "Sergeant Willis" in episode: "The Special Courage of Captain Pratt" (episode # 1.17) 14 February 1964
 * Channing playing "Actor" in episode: "Memory of a Firing Squad" (episode # 1.14) 1 January 1964
 * The Outer Limits playing "Major Giles" in episode: "The Human Factor" (episode # 1.8) 11 November 1963
 * Perry Mason playing "Caleb Stone" in episode: "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew" (episode # 7.1) 26 September 1963
 * Stoney Burke playing "Dr. Manning" in episode: "The Test" (episode # 1.31) 13 May 1963
 * Going My Way playing "Robin Green" in episode: "Run, Robin, Run" (episode # 1.25) 20 March 1963
 * The Lloyd Bridges Show playing "Shpritzen" in episode: "The Skippy Mannox Story" (episode # 1.21) 12 February 1963
 * The Defenders playing "Danny Ross" in episode: "Man Against Himself" (episode # 2.17) 12 January 1963
 * Laramie playing "Jamie Davis" in episode: "Among the Missing" (episode # 4.1) 25 September 1962
 * Perry Mason playing "Parness" in episode: "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox" (episode # 5.29) 19 May 1962
 * Dr. Kildare playing "Actor" in episode: "Something of Importance" (episode # 1.30) 3 May 1962
 * Target: The Corruptors! playing "Bliss" in episode: "Journey Into Mourning" (episode # 1.27) 13 April 1962
 * Cain's Hundred playing "Joe Sherman" in episode: "Blues for a Junkman" (episode # 1.21) 20 February 1962
 * The New Breed playing "Wick" in episode: "Policemen Die Alone: Part 2" (episode # 1.19) 6 February 1962
 * The New Breed playing "Wick" in episode: "Policemen Die Alone: Part 1" (episode # 1.18) 30 January 1962
 * Follow the Sun playing "Actor" in episode: "The Hunters" (episode # 1.9) 12 November 1961
 * Cain's Hundred playing "Willie Williams" in episode: "Markdown on a Man" (episode # 1.4) 10 October 1961
 * Have Gun - Will Travel playing "Isham Spruce" in episode: "Long Way Home" (episode # 4.21) 4 February 1961
 * The Play of the Week playing "Actor" in episode: "Black Monday" (episode # 2.17) 16 January 1961
 * The Twilight Zone playing "Bolie Jackson" in episode: "The Big, Tall Wish" (episode # 1.27) 8 April 1960
 * DuPont Show of the Month playing "Actor" in episode: "Arrowsmith" (episode # 3.5) 17 January 1960
 * Armstrong Circle Theatre playing "Carroll" in episode: "Night Court" (episode # 7.14) 30 April 1957

Television Director

 * Percy & Thunder (1993) (TV Series)
 * Brewster Place (1990) (TV Series)
 * In the Heat of the Night (1988) (TV Series)
 * Quantum Leap (1989) (TV Series)
 * Downtown (1986) (TV Series)
 * Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) (TV Series)
 * Hawaiian Heat (1984) (TV Series)
 * Airwolf (1984) (TV Series)
 * Trapper John, M.D. (1979) (TV Series)
 * The A-Team (1983) (TV Series)
 * Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982) (TV Series)
 * Magnum, P.I. (1980) (TV Series)
 * Counterattack: Crime in America (1982) (TV)
 * Bret Maverick (1981) (TV Series)
 * The Greatest American Hero (1981) (TV Series)
 * Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980) (TV Series)
 * The Righteous Apples (1981) (TV Series)
 * Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980) (TV Series)
 * Harris and Company (1979) (TV Series)
 * Wonder Woman (1975) (TV Series)
 * The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978) (TV Series)
 * Love Is Not Enough (1978) (TV)
 * The Bionic Woman (1976) (TV Series)
 * Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1978) (TV Series)
 * Switch (1975) (TV series)
 * The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977) (TV Series)
 * Quincy, M.E. (1976) (TV Series)
 * Delvecchio (1976) (TV series)
 * McCloud (1970) (TV Series)
 * Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976) (TV Series)
 * Starsky & Hutch (1975) (TV Series)
 * The Rockford Files (1974) (TV Series)
 * The Rookies (1972) (TV Series)
 * Khan! (1975) (TV)
 * Apple's Way (1974) (TV)
 * Get Christie Love! (1974) (TV Series)
 * The Waltons (1972) (TV Series)
 * The Sty of the Blind Pig (1974) (TV)
 * The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
 * Trouble Man (1972)
 * The Mod Squad (1968) (TV series)
 * Nichols (1971) (TV Series)
 * Monty Nash (1971) (TV Series)
 * The Bill Cosby Special, or? (1971) (TV)
 * Room 222 (1969) (TV series)
 * The Bill Cosby Show (1969) (TV series)

Miscellaneous

 * The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973) (producer)
 * Living Between Two Worlds (1963) (assistant to director)
 * The Defiant Ones (1958) (stunt double) (uncredited)