He moved to Dayton, Ohio, with his family when he was 7. He was working as an MC at at club there during the 1950s when he entered the US Air Force. After his discharge, he continued to pursue his show business career. In films, he portrayed Bitterman in Arthur (1981) and its sequel Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988).

Other films include The Wiz (1978), Bir Zamanlar (1981), Amityville II: Saplantı (1982), Polis Akademisi (1984), Balıkçı Kral (1991) and Stealing Home (1988). Television roles included a recurring role as Dean Harris on A Different World (1987) and Cosby Ailesi (1984) along with appearing in numerous shows such as The Jeffersons (1975), Benson (1979) and "The Equalizer" (1985).