He made his Broadway debut in November 1967 in The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, playing the title character.
His other acting credits include roles in Ambush Bay (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Counterpoint (1968), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), Tomorrow (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Man on a Swing (1974), and Gardens of Stone (1987).
The cast was led by Robert Vaughn and David Janssen in his final role before his death.
In 1985, he directed The Trip to Bountiful, for which Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The film also featured his wife, Carlin Glynn, who had previously won a Tony Award for her role in Whorehouse.