Actor/director Ivan Dixon has died from kidney problems at age 76. Dixon was one of the first black directors to gain prominence in Hollywood. He was also a contemporary of Sidney Poitier and was among the first African American actors to gain acclaimed roles in high profile film and TV productions. He co-starred with Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun and A Patch of Blue. However, it was his role as Kinchloe in the TV series Hogan's Heroes that brought him the greatest fame. He played the radio operator and "go to" guy to resolve the POW's communication problems with the outside world. Like Bill Cosby in I Spy, Dixon advanced the image of blacks in the mainstream media by not accentuating his race. He was just "one of the guys". Dixon eventually turned to directing full time, helming and producing the 1973 feature film The Spook Who Sat by the Door. He was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy in 1967 for the ground-breaking Vietnam War TV drama The Final War of Ollie Winter. He went on to direct some top TV shows such as Magnum P.I., Quantum Leap and The A Team.
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