As a one-time cabinet maker, he began his career building sets at the Unity Theatre, in London, before becoming an actor there in the late 1930s. He made his acting debut performing alongside
Paul Robeson in the play "Plant in the Sun." During the 1950s he continued to direct shows at Unity, and on one occasion appeared in court charged with putting on a play without a license. He appeared in a number of Shakespearean roles on stage.