[1] He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series Northern Exposure (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

His other notable credits include the films Urban Cowboy (1980), Stir Crazy (1980), WarGames (1983), and No Country for Old Men (2007) as well as the television series Dallas (1979–1984), Lonesome Dove (1989), One Tree Hill (2003–2009), The Closer (2007–2012), The Ranch (2016–2020), Yellowstone (2021), and Tulsa King (2022).

[4] Corbin began his career in the 1960s as a Shakespearean actor, but today is more likely to be seen in the role of the sheriff, military leader, or some other authority figure, though on occasion, he has portrayed murderous villains.

To moviegoers, he is well remembered as General Beringer in WarGames, John Travolta's uncle Bob Davis in Urban Cowboy, Clint Eastwood's costar in Any Which Way You Can, and Roscoe Brown, July Johnson's bumbling deputy in the acclaimed Western Lonesome Dove.

Corbin's role was as a stern father to the young actor Tom Byrd, who played Boone Sawyer, an aspiring singer.

From 1990 to 1995, Corbin portrayed former astronaut and local business leader Maurice Minnifield on Northern Exposure, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination.

[5] In 1994, Corbin narrated the acclaimed TV documentary MoonShot, telling the story of the 1960s space race from the first-person viewpoint of Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton.