Ivan Dixon, the only original cast member of Hogan's Heroes not to finish the series run, was born in New York City on April 6, 1931. Ivan had a prestigious list of acting credits before delving into the comedic escapades of Stalag 13. He starred in A Raisin in the Sun with Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier in 1961, and played Jim in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess. Ivan's most important film role is perhaps in the acclaimed drama Nothing But a Man (1964). It was one of the earliest films to present a cast of fully-developed black characters.

In 1965 Dixon enlisted as Sgt. James Kinchloe on Hogan's Heroes. He left the series in 1970, one year before the show ended. His later work included roles in films such as the Vietnam veteran drama Clay Pigeon (1971) and Car Wash (1976), as the boss, Lonnie.

Dixon began directing films in the early '70s, such as the 1972 gang warfare flick Trouble Man and the 1973 action movie The Spy Who Sat by the Door (which he also produced). For television, he directed Love Is Not Enough (1978), the series Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980), the detective series Hawaiian Heat (1984), and the made-for-TV movie Percy & Thunder (1993).

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