He began working as a child actor. He was successful on the New York stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager. He later starred in many television roles including the long running CBS television series, "I Remember Mama" and "Young Dr. Malone". Later he would star or co-star in many feature movies including Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", Charlton Heston's "Soylent Green" and the Academy Award winning "Charly".