[citation needed] A founding member of the Actors Studio in New York,[3] Stevens received notice on Broadway in the late 1940s, and thereafter was offered a Hollywood contract at 20th Century Fox.

As a young studio contract player, Stevens had little choice of material, and he appeared in films that included Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952), and Gorilla at Large (1954).

Despite occasional parts in big films, Stevens was unable to break out consistently into A-list movies, so he carved out a career in television as a journeyman dramatic actor.

[6] He co-starred as Lieutenant William Storm in Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (NBC, 1956–1957), a prime time adventure series set in India.

He appeared in over 150 prime time shows from the 1950s to the early 1980s, including: Stevens' appearance in the 1955 movie Robbers' Roost introduced him to Richard Boone, who hired him for a continuing television role on The Richard Boone Show, an award-winning NBC anthology series which lasted for the 1963–1964 season.