Having arrived in Hollywood in 1942, he first worked as a bouncer at the Palladium before serving in the U.S. Army throughout World War II; after his discharge he returned to the Palladium and, in 1948, joined the Ben Bard Players, gaining early stage experience. Though originally slated to headline the 1958 western series Black Saddle, studio concerns about his typecasting and a back injury susta…
