Actor. He is best remembered for his recurring portrayal of the level-headed Detective Adam Flint on the sitcom "Naked City". Born into a working-class family, the son of a professional boxer and a restaurateur, after attaining his degree in theatrical arts from the Pasadena Playhouse, he was discovered by director Lloyd Bacon during a casting call for bit players. Impressed by his dark good looks, laid-back southern attitude, and slim physique, he took notice of his potential and arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing in a supporting role under his supervision in "Call Me Mister" (1951). From there, he would go on to enjoy a successful career as a notable character actor appearing in over 65 features; often typecast as playboys, aristocrats, love interests, doctors, detectives, politicians, cowboys, sheriffs, reporters, blue-collared guys, authority figures, landlords, neighbors, military men, and, in his later years, patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "Golden Girl" (1951), "Fearless Fagan" (1952), "South Sea Woman" (1953), "Return from the Sea" (1954), "Francis in the Navy" (1955), "Screaming Eagles" (1956), "The Disembodied" (1957), "Della" (1964), "Valley of the Dolls" (1967), "The Thomas Crowne Affair" (1968), "Daddy's Gone-A-Hunting" (1969), "Psychic Killer" (1975), and "Guerilla Strike Force" (1987). During the advent of television, he became an even more familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Highway Patrol," "Big Town," "Navy Log," "Adventures of Superman," "Stage 7," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "Hotel de Paree," "The Millionaire," "Hawaiian Eye," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Combat!," "Slattery's People," "The Rookies," "12 O'Clock High," "Thriller," "McMillian & Wife," "Shaft," "Police Woman," "Fantasy Island," "Charlie's Angels," "Santa Barbara," "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," "Hot Shots," and "Columbo". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been an active parishioner of the Catholic church, had been an active member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, was one of the founding members of the Canyon Theatre Guild, had been a theatrical instructor for the UCLA, had been active as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, was the official spokesman for the retailer RadioShack, had been the grandfather of actress and artist Alia Shawkat, and he was married to actress Lyn Peters from 1979 to 2009 (their union ended upon his death and produced four children). Upon his 1990 retirement, he spent the final years of his life devoted to charitable and religious causes, as well as being a generous benefactor for several public schools and libraries, until his death from the complications of leukemia.