He played the first character on Gunsmoke (1955) to shoot Marshal Matt Dillon and the first character on Hawaii Five-O (1968) about whom Steve McGarrett said, "Book him, Danno!".
Interred in Culver City, CA, at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in the "Alcove of Love", next to Moe Howard of The Three Stooges.
Earned a Masters Degree of Theater Arts from UCLA.