His paternal uncle Sir Ernest Pooley, the future Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, secured him a job as a set designer at Pinewood Studios.

During World War II, Pooley registered as a conscientious objector and volunteered as a fireman; he was subsequently discharged on medical grounds and began his acting career on stage.

Pooley's TV guest appearances from the 1950s onwards include Dixon of Dock Green, Paul Temple, Jason King, MacGyver and Star Trek: Voyager.

Pooley had a major career in West End theatre appearing in such notable productions as Noël Coward's Peace in Our Time and revivals of The Tempest and Othello.

[3][4] Pooley moved to the United States in 1986 and lived in Southern California, with an art studio in Santa Monica where he devoted his time to painting.