Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the strong-willed street rat Spider in the film "Glory Alley" (1952). He was raised in a family of immense poverty. He began his career as a professional boxer going on to fight 83 main events in which he won 80. After working as a personal bodyguard and chauffer for the acclaimed actress Mae West, she was so impressed by his dark good looks, masculinity, and determination to succeed, that she arranged for him to be given a screen and voice test allowing him to make his film debut in "King for a Night" (1933). From there, he went on to enjoy a successful career in motion pictures appearing in over 200 features in a 35-year career; often typecast as husbands, boyfriends, bouncers, athletes, playboys, gigolos, prisoners, guards, military men, blue-collared workers, cowboys, gangsters, bartenders, retail clerks, waiters, educators, henchmen, villain's, heroes, truck drivers, policemen, and mechanics. He appeared in such films as "Student's Tour" (1934), "She Get's Her Man" (1935), "Laughing Irish Eyes" (1936), "Every Day's a Holiday" (1937), "Invitation to Mexico" (1939), "Tin Pan Alley" (1940), "Ringside Maisie" (1941), "The Big Street" (1942), "Lost in a Harem" (1943), "Murder, My Sweet" (1944), "Duffy's Tavern" (1945), "Incendiary Blonde" (1945), "Johnny Angel" (1945), "In Fast Company" (1946), "The Kid from Brooklyn" (1946), "Crack-Up" (1946), "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), "The Other Love" (1947), "Christmas Eve" (1947), "Killer McCoy" (1947), "In This Corner" (1948), "Force of Evil" (1948), "Knock on Any Door" (1949), "The Set-Up" (1949), "The Lady Gambles" (1949), "Tension" (1949), "The Yellow Cab Man" (1950), "Shadow on the Wall" (1950), "The Lemon Drop Kid" (1951), "Pier 23" (1951), "A Millionaire for Christy" (1951), "No Holds Barred" (1952), "The Star" (1952), "Here Come the Girls" (1953), "99 River Street" (1953), "Tennessee Champ" (1954), "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954), "Murder Is My Beat" (1955), "It's Always Fair Weather" (1955), "Guys and Dolls" (1955), "Hot Blood" (1956), "The Devil's Hairpin" (1957), "Hot Spell" (1958), "King Creole" (1958), "Some Like It Hot" (1959), "Pillow Talk" (1959), "Bell's Are Ringing" (1960), "Ocean's 11" (1960), "The Facts of Life" (1960), "Blackprint for Murder" (1961), "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962), "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), "Come Blow Your Horn" (1963), "Under the Yum Yum Tree" (1963), "A House is Not a Home" (1964), "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), and "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1968). With the advent of television, he became a household name appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Fireside Theatre," "Four Star Playhouse," "Boston Blackie," "Meet Corliss Archer," "Schlitz Playhouse," "Studio 57," "The Ford Television Theatre," "Dragnet," "Telephone Time," "The Thin Man," "Richard Diamond, Private Detective," "The Danny Thomas Show," "The Gale Storm Show," "Target," "The Millionaire," "Alcoa Theatre," "Border Patrol," "Tightrope," "Rawhide," "Peter Gunn," "This Man Dawson," "The Untouchables," "The Betty Hutton Show," "Klondike," "The Rebel," "One Step Beyond," "The Donna Reed Show," "Follow the Sun," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Miami Undercover," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "Channing," "Dr. Kildare," "Death Valley Days," "The Big Valley," "Run for Your Life," "Batman," "Mr. Terrific," "Mannix," "Bonanza," and "Hondo". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, was a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, had a membership with the Hollywood Democratic Committee, and was a professional trainer for several well-known leading men of his generation ranging from Spencer Tracy to Cary Grant. In the final years of life, outside of theatrical and athletics projects, he suffered from heavy bouts of alcoholism and depression due to lack of fulfillment in both his marriage and fatherhood, which resulted in his death from suicide.