Drago's films, where he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's western Pale Rider and Brian De Palma's The Untouchables.

[7] After leaving high school he started out as a journalist for the Associated Press, and later became a popular voice on the radio that took him first to Canada and then to New York City.

He went on to guest star in numerous television series, including Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, Walker, Texas Ranger and Trapper John, M.D..[9] The role that brought his career international prominence was as the gangster assassin Frank Nitti in Brian De Palma's 1987 blockbuster The Untouchables.

Barbas was originally written as a villain of the week (in the episode "From Fear to Eternity"), but proved so popular with fans that he ultimately appeared in five of the show's eight seasons.

[14] Other notable projects include Gregg Araki's 2004 film Mysterious Skin,[10] Pale Rider, the 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes,[10] Low Down, and Takashi Miike's Masters of Horror episode "Imprint", which Showtime chose not to air in the United States due to its "disturbing content.