As a teenager, he excelled in sports at Charleston High School. At Hargrave Military Academy, he was captain of the football and track teams, earning him athletic scholarships at numerous colleges and universities. He chose to accept an offer from Virginia Tech. Volunteering for the draft in 1954, he spent the next three years in the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1957. After leaving the service, he hitchhiked his way across country to California to become an actor.[3]
