A graduate of the University of Oregon.
Has mastered an impeccable (and unmistakable) Southern accent, despite having been born in New York City.
Is best remembered for playing the stereotypical Redneck cop Sheriff J.W. Pepper in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). He played basically the same character in Superman II (1980) although his name is never mentioned (He's referred to simply as "sheriff").
Made his Broadway stage debut as the warm-hearted construction foreman in William Saroyan's "The Cave Dwellers".
Served five years with the U.S. Army during World War II.