Born Wayne McMeekan, he debuted onstage in 1936, reaching Broadway two years later. In the late '40s he achieved stardom in several hit plays, leading to an invitation from Hollywood. He began appearing in character roles onscreen in 1949 and remained a busy film actor for a decade, after which his film work was sporadic. In the '60s he was a regular member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater. He did much TV work and was a regular on the '80s TV series House Calls.