At one time he played pro baseball and also boxed.
Born in Los Angeles, but raised in San Francisco, he eventually returned and got his first studio job working as an office boy at MGM.
In the early 70's he returned to work as a makeup artist full time on TV shows.
Played plenty of bad guys in "B" westerns during the 1950s.
Served with the Marine Corps during World War II.
Took an early interest in makeup and eventually became an apprentice at MGM. One of his first films was The Good Earth (1937). As a makeup artist at MGM and RKO, he worked with Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy.