He served in the Royal Air Force in the Second World War and then moved to the United States, where he played the son, Joe, in the radio program Ma Perkins.

[citation needed] Francis made several appearances on Broadway, in such plays as The Devil's Advocate, Gideon and J.B..

He performed frequently on television, including appearances in I Dream of Jeannie, The Odd Couple, Barney Miller (as 4 different characters), a psychologist on Happy Days, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hart to Hart, Benson , Hawaii Five-O, Starsky & Hutch, Dark Shadows, Bright Promise, Room 222, Get Smart, The Practice, Little House on the Prairie, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak and General Hospital, which starred his daughter, Genie Francis.

He appeared as Carson Brookhaven in the syndicated comedy series Dusty's Trail for one season, 1973–74.

Francis died in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California on October 22, 1986, from an undisclosed illness, at age 68.