[6] Naughton's professional acting debut was in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Hamlet starring Sam Waterston.

[8] Naughton first became widely known as a result of his four-year stint (1977–1981) singing and dancing in television commercials and personal appearances to promote Dr Pepper.

[6] The commercials won numerous Clio awards, and involved a multitude of celebrities from Mickey Rooney and Jimmie Walker to Fred Flintstone and Popeye.

[7] By 1981, Naughton was at the height of his success as a soft drink spokesperson, but he wanted to try other ventures and decided to end his role in the commercials.

[7] Though the main commercial stint ended in 1981, Naughton occasionally returned to the pitchman role for the soft drink.

He appeared in various lesser known movies, as well as smaller roles in numerous episodes of television shows including MacGyver, Melrose Place, Murder, She Wrote, JAG, and Seinfeld.

From 1986-1988, Naughton had a reoccurring role on My Sister Sam as the goofy ex-boyfriend of the series' main character, which was played by Pam Dawber.

[14] In the wake of the tragedy, several actors from the sitcom including Naughton did a PSA to raise awareness of handgun violence.

[6] According to police reports, five months into their marriage, Naughton and his third wife, Seann Sara Sella, were arguing when he "grabbed her arm and threw her around.