Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the straight-forward Dr. Pierce in the holiday classic "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947). After working in stock companies in his native California, he was discovered by a talent scout during a stage production of "Our Town" during a summer tour in Guilford, Connecticut. Following several screen and voice tests, he was brought to the attention of director William K. Howard. Impressed by his dark good looks, distinctive voice, and manly physique, he took notice of his potential and arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him being under his supervision per a supporting role in "Back Door to Heaven" (1939). From there, he would go on to appear in over 100 features as a notable supporting character actor. Although, primarily typecast as government officials, he also was noted for being seen in roles of husbands, fathers, boyfriends, sidekicks, kindly neighbors, white-collared workers, authority figures, heroes, cowboys, sheriffs, policemen, clergymen, and patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "Opened By Mistake" (1940), "Meet Boston Blackie" (1941), "Ten Gentlemen from West Point" (1942), "Fight for Freedom" (1943), "Home, Sweet Homicide" (1946), "Secret Behind the Door" (1947), "An Innocent Affair" (1948), "Red Canyon" (1949), "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950), "Up Front" (1951), "Torpedo Alley" (1952), "Phantom from Space" (1953), "Return to Treasure Island" (1954), "I Died a Thousand Times" (1955), "Gun Brothers" (1956), "Pal Joey" (1957), "Street of Darkness" (1958), "Secret of Deep Harbor" (1961), "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962), "Brainstorm" (1965), "The Ballad of Josie" (1967), and "Panic in the City" (1968). During the advent of television, he became an even more familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Stories of the Century," "Death Valley Days," "The Californians," "Perry Mason," "The Rebel," "Cheyenne," "The Twilight Zone," "Bat Masterson," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Official Detective," "Green Acres," "77 Sunset Strip," "Bronco," "Leave It to Beaver," "Surfside 6," "Maverick," "The Magical World of Disney," and "Lancer". During his career, he served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II, was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, had been supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been an active member of the Hollywood Republican Committee, was an active parishioner of the Catholic church, was one of the founding members of the Canyon Theatre Guild, had been a theatrical instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, presided as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and he was married to prominent press agent Mercedes Bole from 1971 until his death (their union produced no children). Upon his retirement in the early 1970s, he spent the final decades of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions and was a generous benefactor for several libraries and hospitals, until his death from the complications of heart disease.