After leaving the military, he moved to New York City, and studied acting on the G.I. Bill. He joined the company of the Dallas Alley Theatre and performed on stage for five years. In 1948, he made his television debut on the anthology series "The Philco Television Playhouse", and also appeared on the series "Studio One". His first film role, uncredited, was in the 1951 film "You're in the Navy Now", a film that also featured the screen debuts of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson.