Ivan Dixon

Ivan Dixon
Ivan Dixon in Nothing But a Man
Born	Ivan Nathaniel Dixon, III (1931-04-06)April 6, 1931 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	March 16, 2008(2008-03-16) (aged 76) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death	Renal failure
Occupation	Actor, director, producer
Years active	1957–1991
Spouse(s)	Berlie Ray Dixon (m. 1954–2008)

Ivan Dixon (April 6, 1931 – March 16, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer best known for his series role in the 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for his role in the 1967 telefilm The Final War of Olly Winter, and for directing hundreds of episodes of television series. Active in the civil rights movement, he served as a president of Negro Actors for Action.

Early life and career

Ivan Nathaniel Dixon, III, was born in Harlem, the son of a grocery store owner. When he was young, Dixon lived in the brownstone at 518 W. 150th St. in Harlem. Living on the same block were Josh White, Ralph Ellison and the Hines brothers, (Gregory and Maurice). He graduated from the Lincoln Academy in Gaston County, North Carolina, and went on to earn a drama degree from North Carolina Central University in 1954, where the theater troupe is known as the Ivan Dixon Players. He also became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., while in attendance. In 1957, he appeared on Broadway in the William Saroyan play The Cave Dwellers. In 1958, he was a stunt double for Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones. In 1959, he co-starred in Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking drama A Raisin in the Sun, the first Broadway play produced by a black woman.

Dixon went on to television roles on The Twilight Zone (in the episodes "The Big Tall Wish" and "I Am the Night—Color Me Black"), Perry Mason, and other series.

On September 25, 1962, he portrayed Jamie Davis, a livery stable groom, in the episode "Among the Missing" of NBC's Laramie western series. Series character Jess Harper (Robert Fuller) pursues bank robbers, played by L. Q. Jones and Jan Merlin, who seriously wounded series character Mike Williams (Dennis Holmes). Jess' search leads him to the unfriendly town of Chloride, where he faces a corrupt sheriff, Tyler Shaw, portrayed by Claude Akins. Jess' only ally turns out to be the livery stable groom.

In 1964, Dixon starred in the independent film Nothing But a Man, written and directed by Michael Roemer. He appeared in an episode of ABC's The Fugitive entitled "Escape into Black".

Hogan's Heroes

In his best-known role, Dixon appeared as POW Staff Sergeant Ivan Kinchloe in the ensemble of the hit television program Hogan's Heroes. "Kinch" was the communications specialist and default third (behind Technical Sergeant Andrew Carter) in command to Colonel Hogan (portrayed by Bob Crane). Dixon played Kinchloe from 1965 to 1970, making him one of two original actors on Hogan's Heroes not to remain for the entire series (the other was Leonid Kinskey, who played Vladimir Minsk). Hogan's Heroes ended in 1971, by which time Kenneth Washington had succeeded Dixon.

Film work and directing

From 1970 to 1993, Dixon worked primarily as a television director on such series and TV-movies as Trouble Man, The Waltons, The Rockford Files, The Bionic Woman, Magnum, P.I., and The A-Team. He also directed the controversial 1973 feature film The Spook Who Sat by the Door based on a novel by Sam Greenlee, about the first black CIA agent, who takes his espionage knowledge and uses it to lead a black guerrilla operation in Chicago. The New York Times wrote in 2008:

Although The Spook caused controversy and with suppression facilitated by the F.B.I., was soon pulled from theaters, it later gained cult status as a bootleg video and in 2004 was released on DVD. At that time Mr. Dixon told The Times that the movie had tried only to depict black anger, not to suggest armed revolt as a solution.

Occasionally returning to acting, he played a doctor and leader of a guerrilla movement in the controversial 1987 ABC miniseries Amerika, set in post-Soviet invasion Nebraska.

Ivan Dixon also served as Chairman of the Expansion Arts Advisory Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts in 1978.

Later life and death

After his career as an actor and director, Dixon was the owner-operator of radio station KONI (FM) in Maui. In 2001, he left Hawaii for health reasons and sold the radio station in 2002.

Ivan Dixon died on March 16, 2008, aged 76, at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, of complications from kidney failure.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1957	Something of Value	Lathela, Loyal Gun-Bearer	Alternative title: Africa Ablaze
1959	Porgy and Bess	Jim
1961	A Raisin in the Sun	Asagai
1962	The New Breed	Wick	2 episodes
1963	Perry Mason	Caleb Stone IV	Episode: "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew"
	Going My Way	Robin Green	"Run, Robin, Run"
	Stoney Burke	Dr. Manning	Episode: "The Test"
1964	Nothing But a Man	Duff Anderson
1965	I Spy	Elroy Brown	Episode: "So Long, Patrick Henry"
1965	A Patch of Blue	Mark Ralfe
1965 to 1971	Hogan's Heroes	Staff Sergeant Ivan Kinchloe	145 episodes
1966	Hogan's Heroes	Prince Makabana	episode "The Prince From The Phone Company"
1969	Where's Jack?	Naval Officer
1970	Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came	Sgt. Jones	Alternative title: War Games
1971	Clay Pigeon	Simon
1971 to 1972	Nichols	–	Director, 4 episodes
1973	The Spook Who Sat by the Door	–	Director
1974 to 1975	The Waltons	–	Director, 7 episodes
1975	Starsky and Hutch	–	Director, 1 episode
1975 to 1979	The Rockford Files	–	Director, 9 episodes
1976	Car Wash	Lonnie
1977	McCloud	–	Director, 1 episode
1978	The Bionic Woman	–	Director, 1 episode
1979	Wonder Woman	–	Director, 1 episode
1981 to 1982	Bret Maverick	–	Director, 3 episodes
1981 to 1983	The Greatest American Hero	–	Director, 6 episodes
1984	Trapper John, M.D.	–	Director, 1 episode
1982 to 1986	Magnum, P.I.	–	Director, 13 episodes
1987	Amerika	Dr. Alan Drummond	Miniseries
1989	Quantum Leap	–	Director, 1 episode
1989	In the Heat of the Night	–	Director, 1 episode
1991	Father Dowling Mysteries	Rev. Johnson	Episode: "The Joyful Noise Mystery"

Award nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title of work
1967	Emmy Award	Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama	CBS Playhouse: The Final War of Olly Winter

External links

• Ivan Dixon at the Internet Movie Database
• Ivan Dixon at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ivan Dixon at Find a Grave