[1] He started his career on stage, including the 1954 Broadway production of Truman Capote's House of Flowers, where he met his future wife, Enid Mosier (acting name Vivian Bonnell).

Among these films were Abby (1974), Combat Cops (1974), and Sheba, Baby (1975), in which he played Pam Grier's love interest.

Some of Stoker's other notable acting roles were in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Horror High (1974), Airport 1975 (1974), Victory at Entebbe (1976), and the 1977 television mini-series Roots.

Stoker is known to Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans for his role as Dr. Ken Melrose in the 1982 B-movie, Time Walker, in which he appeared with Darwin Joston, his co-star from Assault on Precinct 13.

Stoker died of renal failure at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 7, 2022, his 92nd birthday.