Bing was sort of a pre-S.Z. Sakall type of character actor, much in demand during the 1930s but his "can't quite pin down the accent" shtick fell out of favor with producers and directors at the end of the decade. He became increasingly depressed in the mid-1940s, as he was unable to secure work in Hollywood, and committed suicide in 1947.
Brother of actor Gus Bing (1893-1967) and Rudolf Bing.
Came to Hollywood from Germany as assistant to F.W. Murnau and worked on the script and as an assistant director on Murnau's 1927 classic Sunrise (1927). After working in production with John Ford and Frank Borzage, he began his career as a comic actor.