His parents wanted him to become a lawyer, whereas he wanted to become an actor or a painter. In the end, he achieved both of his career objectives: he became an actor of stage, radio and television, a noted interpreter of Shakespearean roles, both on and off Broadway. He also graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art on a scholarship and later became an accomplished painter of oils and watercolours, many of which have found their way into galleries, museums and private collections. At the time of his death in 1979, he was listed in the 'Who's Who in American Art'.