He broke into films in the mid '30s and remained a fairly steady screen presence for two decades, then continued appearing in films more sporadically for another decade; he was usually cast in tough supporting roles but occasionally played suave leads. He was better known for his work on radio, which included playing the title roles in the radio series Ellery Queen and The Count of Monte Cristo. He later did much work on TV, including playing a regular role on the series Wyatt Earp. He was the father of actor Tony Young.