Wrote jokes for Phyllis Diller. She encouraged him to try his hand in Hollywood.
Emceed the Humanitas Prize Annual Awards for many years.
Was the Pittsburgh bureau chief of BusinessWeek magazine before joining the Pittsburgh PBS affiliate WQED as a reporter and anchor.
Studied at Borromeo Seminary before graduating from John Carroll University, Cleveland's Jesuit university, in 1963. He considered a career in the priesthood.
While working with WQED he joined with a local theatre actor, Michael Keaton, to found a comedy troupe known as The Flying Zookeni Brothers Daredevil Circus.