[3] He then completed two years in the US Signal Corps, stationed in Korea, before he made his professional stage debut in Brandon Thomas's play Charley's Aunt in 1953 aged 20, billed as "Lewis Clinton Kimbrough".
Shortly thereafter, with the help of fellow Oklahoman Lonny Chapman, Kimbrough joined Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, an incubator for acting talent.
An appearance in A Face in the Crowd followed, and Kimbrough established a working relationship with director Elia Kazan that lasted ten years.
In the late 1950s, Kimbrough appeared on live television on numerous occasions, including weekly shows such as Westinghouse Studio One, G.E.
[1][6] Since 2007, a film festival has taken place in Allen, Oklahoma during the annual Alumni Weekend in June, aiming to acquaint the public with Kimbrough's career and work.