He became a press agent for several legendary opera singers, including Placido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Cecilia Bartoli, Lily Pons, Anna Moffo, Rise Stevens, Mirella Freni, Jussi Bjoerling, and Shirley Verrett.
Finding it difficult to land acting jobs, he moved to New York and joined a public-relations agency. His first client was opera singer Ezio Pinza, who was about to play Emile de Becque in the original stage production of "South Pacific". Vincent helped him practice his spoken lines of dialogue.
He landed small roles in a few Hollywood films. Even as a young man, he gave the impression of an older, cultured European with a thick accent.
He studied piano seriously, planning a concert career. He eventually felt that he didn't have enough talent, and took up acting. He studied acting in Germany with director Max Reinhardt.
His mother was an opera singer; his father, a dentist. He spent most of his childhood in the Netherlands.