Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the staunch Major Tolley in "Project X" (1968). Born Charles Zipperman, he began his career as a leading man on the stage in little theatres and stock companies. After being introduced to director Dave Fleischer while attending a War Bond Rally in Los Angeles, California, he was so impressed by his dark good looks, average physique, and articulate voice that upon taking notice of his potential, he arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing under his supervision per a major role in "The Vacationer's Paradise" (1942). From there, he flourished as a notable character actor, appearing in over 50 features. Often typecast as husbands, fathers, relatives, eccentrics, landlords, neighbors, curmudgeons, white-collared workers, judges, ministers, salesmen, doctors, lawyers, aristocrats, bankers, retail clerks, educators, authority figures, sergeants, lieutenants, policemen, detectives, reporters, and patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "The Golden State" (1948), "Blue Hawaii" (1950), "Drippy Mississippi" (1951), "Off We Glow" (1952), "No Place Like Rome" (1953), "A Face in the Crowd" (1957), "Nuts in Search of a Bolt" (1964), "Countdown" (1967), and "Head" (1968). On television, he appeared in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Milton Berle Show," "Lawman," "Surfside 6," "Cheyenne," "The Real McCoys," "The Lloyd Bridges Show," "Our Man Higgins," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," "Peter Loves Mary," "Dr. Kildare," "The Dakotas," "Mr. Novak," "Kraft Suspense Theatre," "Peyton Place," "Profiles in Courage," "Mickey," "Perry Mason," "Slattery's People," "Bewitched," "Ben Casey," "Run for Your Life," "The Wackiest Ship in the Navy," "I Dream of Jennie," "The Felony Squad," "Get Smart," "The Rat Patrol," "Iron Horse," "Bonanza," "Judd for the Defense," "Mayberry R.F.D.," and "The Young Lawyers". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, an honorary member of Actors Equity, was an active member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Temple Israel of Hollywood, had been a notable audiobook reader, was a script supervisor for several major studios, had been involved within his local charters of American Red Cross and the Boys and Girls Clubs, had been a ghostwriter for several magazines, was a commercial model for the Ford Agency, had been a celebrity spokesman for Paper Mate Ballpoint Pens and A&P Grocers, and he was married to character actress Holly Irving from 1947 to 1973 (their union ended in divorce and produced no children). Following his 1971 retirement, he relocated to his native Minnesota and spent the remainder of his life living quietly in the suburbs, devoting time to charitable and religious causes until his death from complications of a brief illness.