Started as a character actor, playing both serious and comic villains on screen. Later turned to directing for Kalem and
Hal Roach. During the 1920s he doubled as gag writer, in addition to directing for
Al Christie at Vitagraph (1924-25) and
Mack Sennett (1926). In the sound era, he worked as a scenarist on dramas, with occasional forays into comedy.