Born in Lithuania, he was taken to Germany when he was twelve, where he received dramatic training. In 1949, he emigrated to Australia where he took Australian citizenship in 1955, and joined the Old Vic Company, which was on an Australia tour. His success on the tour encouraged him to give all his time to acting, and he set up his own small film unit in Adelaide, then came to England where he got a part in the film 'The One Tha Got Away.' He didn't bother to attend the wardrobe call in London as he had his own uniform that he'd worn in the actual desert campaign.