Famous for his Academy Award-nominated performances in the films Sahara (1943) and A Medal for Benny (1945), he is also remembered for his starring role in the popular CBS Radio series Life with Luigi.
During his childhood years, he performed with a Gus Edwards-led vaudeville troupe. He made his film debut at the age of thirty, appearing uncredited in What Price Glory?
His television credits include appearances in episodes of Wagon Train and Route 66, as well as series regular roles on The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (as the title character) and Guestward, Ho! (as Hawkeye).
His more than four-decade-long marriage to fellow entertainer Gladys Heaney produced a daughter named Elaine.
He shared the screen with Boris Karloff in the 1944 feature House of Frankenstein.