Hess originally worked as a songwriter in the 1950s, co-writing songs recorded by Elvis Presley and Pat Boone, but garnered international attention for his feature film debut portraying Krug Stillo in Wes Craven's exploitation horror film "The Last House on the Left" (1972). He played several hard-edged roles as criminals and rapists in the Italian films "Hitch-Hike" (1977) and "The House on the Edge of the Park" (1980) as well as had a supporting role in Craven's "Swamp Thing" (1982). He made his directorial debut with the slasher film "To All a Goodnight" (1980).