[3] He served in World War II, during which he toured the Pacific with the Maurice Evans Troupe's production of Hamlet.

[5] Karnes later appeared in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Cheyenne, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, The Streets of San Francisco, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Emergency!, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Fugitive, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, and Ironside, among others.

[6] He also starred, co-starred and appeared in films such as Miracle on 34th Street, Trapped, Gentleman's Agreement, Three Husbands, According to Mrs. Hoyle, Half Human, Scudda Hoo!

Scudda Hay!, Road House, When My Baby Smiles at Me, Hills of Oklahoma, Stagecoach to Fury, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, From Here to Eternity, and Fear No More.

[6] In 1959, Karnes played the role of Max Fields in the crime drama television series The Lawless Years, co-starring with James Gregory.