[3] He served in the Army Special Services Entertainment Unit[4] during World War II acting with Alex Nicol and Mickey Rooney.

After returning to the States he was cast as Stefanowski in the stage play Mr. Roberts where he met actor Cliff Robertson who became his lifelong friend.

In the late 1940s, Barton appeared on stage in a production of Mister Roberts[3] alongside Cliff Robertson, Lee Van Cleef, John Forsythe and Brian Keith.

He was the spokesman for Northrup Aviation for twelve years and did voice-over work for companies such as Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Microsoft and Nike.

Barton also was the voice in many political campaign commercials, including prominent Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elizabeth Dole, despite his own position as a lifelong Democrat.