To support himself, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including wrestling as "Alexei Petroff, the Savage of the Steppes" and boxing as "Tiger Jack Payne".

On Broadway he appeared in the revue At Home Abroad (1935–36) alongside Ethel Waters, Eleanor Powell and Beatrice Lillie.

His first role was in Goldwyn's Dodsworth, playing Harry McKee, the son-in-law of Walter Huston's titular character.

Payne had roles in the comedy The Great American Broadcast (1940), and was in the musicals Tin Pan Alley (1940), Week-End in Havana (1941) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941).

Payne's most familiar role may be his final film for Fox, that of attorney Fred Gailey in the classic holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwenn.

Payne admitted that prior to the film, he had been on suspension for refusing an assignment by the Fox studio, but he had asked directors around the lot and was told about Miracle on 34th Street.

He was meant to make another film with O'Hara, Sitting Pretty (1948),[12] however, in October 1947 he got his release from the studio, despite the contract having another four years to run, which would have brought him $670,000.

[6] Film historian Jeanine Basinger later wrote that "Fox thought of [Payne] as a secondary Tyrone Power.

"[14] After leaving Fox, Payne attempted to change his image and began playing tough-guy roles in Hollywood films noir.

Other roles were in Captain China (1950), an adventure film; Tripoli (1950) set during the Barbary War; and The Eagle and the Hawk (1950), a Western.

Payne directed one of his last films, They Ran for Their Lives (1968), and starred with Alice Faye in a 1974 revival of the musical Good News.

His final role was in 1975, when he co-starred with Peter Falk and Janet Leigh in the Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady".

During World War II Payne served as a flight instructor in the United States Army Air Corps.

[24] The couple remained on good terms, and on June 27, 1961, columnist Earl Wilson wrote that DeHaven was still concerned over Payne's March 1961 accident, and called him once a week.

Payne was a Republican, and in October 1960 he was one of many conservative notables who drove in the Nixon-Lodge Bumper Sticker Motorcade in Los Angeles.

[28] On the evening of March 1, 1961, when Payne was 48, he suffered extensive, life-threatening injuries when struck by a car when he was crossing Madison Avenue in New York City.

[30] Payne was tossed into the air, and came down facefirst into the car's windshield, which then shattered, causing extensive facial lacerations, including damaging both his eyes.

[29] One of Payne's first public appearances during this period was as a guest panelist on the popular CBS Sunday night game show What's My Line?