Born George Stein, he performed in his youth as a song-and-dance kid in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage, leading him into movies at 13. Stone continued to act onscreen as an adult, ultimately playing character roles in nearly 200 films through the early '60s. A close friend of author Damon Runyon's, he often played Runyonesque gangsters. He was a regular in the "Boston Blackie" series of films, playing the Runt, Chester Morris's dim-witted, friendly pal. He was also a regular on the TV series "Perry Mason."