Actor. He is best remembered for his recurring portrayal of the prominent newspaper editor Matthew Swain on the television sitcom "Peyton Place". Born into a prominent theatrical family, he made his film debut in "The Sunbeam" (1916) and upon completion of his formal education at the Professional Children's School in New York City, New York, he re-entered the film industry in 1943 beginning with a leading role in "Destination Tokyo." In a career that would succeed for 32 years, he went on to flourish as a reputable character actor, his no-nonsense demeanor and commanding voice served him well in playing corporate executives, judges, army officers, and other authority figures. He appeared in such full-length feature films as "Objective, Burma!" (1945), "Her Highness and the Bellboy" (1945), "Dangerous Partners" (1945), "Week-End at the Waldorf" (1945), "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood" (1945), "Bad Bascomb" (1946), "My Reputation" (1946), "Faithful in my Fashion" (1946), "The Beginning of the End" (1947), "Dark Delusion" (1947), "High Wall" (1947), "Song of the Thin Man" (1947), "Alias a Gentleman" (1948), "Tenth Avenue Angel" (1948), "The Doctor and the Girl" (1949), "Destination Moon" (1950), "Go for Broke!" (1951), "Detective Story" (1951), "The Blue Veil" (1951), "The Star" (1952), "A Lion in the Streets" (1953), "The Caine Mutiny" (1954), "A Lawless Street" (1955), "Blackboard Jungle" (1955), "Armored Command" (1961), and "Rio. Conchos" (1964). With the advent of television, he became a familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Kraft Theatre," "The Doctor," "The Lux Video Theatre," "The Ford Television Theatre," "You Are There," "Pursuit," "Climax!," "The Lineup," "Death Valley Days," "The Red Skelton Hour," "Play of the Week," "The Immortal," "The Interns," "The Young Lawyers," "Bearcats!," "Ironside," "Mannix," "O'Hara, U.S. Treasury," and "The Rockford Files". In addition, he starred on the Broadway stage appearing in such productions as "Maytime," "Happiness," "Medea," "Within Four Walls," "Broken Journey," and "Remains to Be Seen". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, supported the California State Republican Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, served as the official announcer for "The Bell Telephone Hour," presided as an honorary chairman for his local charters of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and he was married to fellow stage actress Leeta Anderson from 1937 until his death (their union produced one child). A lifelong smoker, he died from complications of cancer.