The Pittsburgh native made his Broadway debut as a dancer in the 1941 Bert Kalmar-Harry Ruby musical High Kickers. The next year, he appeared in the musical revue Count Me In. He was then cast in Ziegfeld Follies of 1943, the final edition of the famed revue begun by Florenz Ziegfeld. The impresario died in 1932; the 1943 show was produced in cooperation with his widow, Billie Burke. It starred Milton Berle and Jack Cole and was successful, running 553 performances.
He didn't act on Broadway again until Follies. He then performed as Harry "The Noodle" in another legendary, albeit not as successful, musical—Michael Bennett's Ballroom. His final Broadway credit was Amadeus, in which he played Salieri's valet.