From 1951 to 1957, Whitman had a streak working in mostly bit parts in films, including When Worlds Collide (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Barbed Wire (1952) and The Man from the Alamo (1952).

On television, Whitman guest-starred in series such as Dr. Christian, The Roy Rogers Show, and Death Valley Days, and also had a recurring role on Highway Patrol.

Whitman, now in the lead cast, acted in Darby's Rangers (1958), China Doll (1958), Ten North Frederick (1958), The Decks Ran Red (1958), Hound-Dog Man (1959), These Thousand Hills (1959), The Story of Ruth (1960), Murder, Inc. (1960), The Comancheros (1961), and The Mark (1961), the latter of which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Whitman also acted regularly on television, with credits including Have Gun – Will Travel, The Streets of San Francisco, Love, American Style, Quincy, M.E., The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Pirate, Condominium, Knight Rider, Matt Houston, A-Team, S.W.A.T., Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Once Upon a Texas Train, Knots Landing, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Walker, Texas Ranger.

[12] When World War II broke out, Joseph Whitman moved to Los Angeles to run oil-cracking plants for the government.

Denny, who had entered active duty in January 1944, after five months of the delayed-entry program, had defeated his third opponent, considered his toughest matchup.

Whitman was honorably discharged from the Army in 1948, while his close friend, Scott, completed officer candidate school the following year, ending his service with the rank of colonel.

He made his screen debut, credited as Kip Whitman, in a bit part in Rudolph Maté's When Worlds Collide, which was released in November 1951.

[37] In 1956, Whitman continued with the same types of roles, starting with Allan Dwan's Hold Back the Night on July 29,[38] followed by Budd Boetticher's Seven Men from Now on August 4.

He's tall and lean with shock of unruly black hair and dark hazel eyes which harden to slate grey when he plays a bad man or turns on the heat in a love scene.

In it, Whitman played Paul Regret, who flees the law to avoid death but is eventually captured by Texas Ranger Captain Jake Cutter (Wayne).

[75] However, in 1963, instead of choosing any of these roles, Whitman played an American pilot in the French film The Day and the Hour, directed by René Clément, shot in Paris and set during World War II.

"[50] Also that year, Whitman acted in the second episode of the first season of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, called "Killing at Sundial".

In it, Whitman plays a Native American who became wealthy throughout life and is now seeking to avenge the death of his father, who was lynched years prior.

[76][additional citation(s) needed] Also at that time, Whitman was announced as the lead in Cardinal (1963), and he lobbied to play Jimmy Hoffa in an adaptation of The Enemy Within by Robert F. Kennedy;[50] however, the first role was lost to Tom Tryon and the second film was never made.

[80] Whitman said that he didn't like the script, but producer Darryl F. Zanuck told him that if he would do it, he would then be cast as a lead in Ken Annakin's upcoming film, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), in a role the studio had initially intended to give Dick Van Dyke.

Whitman became the lead after the production company courted many actors such as Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Albert Finney, Marlon Brando and Warren Beatty.

Eventually, George Peppard was cast as the lead but abandoned it early into the production, and while Alan Bates was considered, Whitman was confirmed.

Whitman found the shoot difficult, due to the hot weather and the fact that the baboons, with whom he had fight scenes, were not properly trained and lived in decrepit conditions, as well as having no animal control.

In this British period comedy film, Whitman is featured amongst an international ensemble cast, including Sarah Miles, Robert Morley, Terry-Thomas, James Fox, Red Skelton, Benny Hill, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Gert Fröbe and Alberto Sordi.

The film, revolving around the craze of early aviation circa 1910, is about a pompous newspaper magnate (Morley) who is convinced by his daughter (Miles) and fiancée (Fox), a young army officer, to organize an air race from London to Paris.

[83][84][85] It was treated as a major production, one of only three full-length 70 mm Todd-AO Fox releases in 1965, with an intermission and musical interlude being part of the original screenings.

[86] Because of the Todd-AO process, the film was an exclusive roadshow feature initially shown in deluxe Cinerama venues, where customers needed reserved seats purchased ahead of time.

[92][93][additional citation(s) needed] Whitman had turned down a number of offers to star on television series over the years, including Mannix and Judd for the Defense.

[citation needed] On October 26, 1971, Whitman acted in Captain Apache,[107] The City Beneath the Sea,[108] and the television film Revenge!

In it, Whitman and Janet Leigh play a couple of zoologists who are looking for ways to reduce the rabbit population that has infested a nearby ranch.

[178] That year, CBS aired the television film Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues, starring James Brolin and Lisa Hartman with a supporting turn from Whitman.

Another The Decks Ran Red co-star Whitman commented on was Dorothy Dandridge, who was going through a divorce and had to institutionalize her mentally ill daughter.

Whitman found The Mark director Guy Green difficult to work with, finding him demanding and too strict, but they became good friends afterwards.

After their collaboration on Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, both would meet for drinks, visit one another, and swim in the ocean while on Whitman's beachfront home in Malibu.