Actor. Born in San Bernadino, California, he attended California's Harvard Military academy and the University of Southern California, but began acting at 15 with Marjorie Rambeau's stock company, leading to work in silent films for Christie comedy studios. In 1927 he made appearances in both the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer" and the first Academy Award winning film, "Wings." He split his time between the stage and films, earning a niche as a character player with notable roles in such films as "It Happened One Night," "Twentieth Century," "His Girl Friday," and "Woman of the Year. By the 1950s roles were scarce and he shifted his focus to television, making a five year run in the series, "Rocky King, Detective" appearing with his son, Todd Karns. He then spent four years as Admiral Walter Shafer on the series "Hennessey" which ran from 1959 to 1962. One of his last appearances on television was a guest role on "The Lucy Show" in 1963. Over the course of his career, he played over 150 roles; he died at age 79 in Los Angeles.
Actor. Born in San Bernadino, California, he attended California's Harvard Military academy and the University of Southern California, but began acting at 15 with Marjorie Rambeau's stock company, leading to work in silent films for Christie comedy studios. In 1927 he made appearances in both the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer" and the first Academy Award winning film, "Wings." He split his time between the stage and films, earning a niche as a character player with notable roles in such films as "It Happened One Night," "Twentieth Century," "His Girl Friday," and "Woman of the Year. By the 1950s roles were scarce and he shifted his focus to television, making a five year run in the series, "Rocky King, Detective" appearing with his son, Todd Karns. He then spent four years as Admiral Walter Shafer on the series "Hennessey" which ran from 1959 to 1962. One of his last appearances on television was a guest role on "The Lucy Show" in 1963. Over the course of his career, he played over 150 roles; he died at age 79 in Los Angeles.
Bio by: Iola
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