Brown played football at Temple City High School and later at USC as a Fullback during the 1967 season. His acting career started in 1973, when he appeared in the films The Girl Most Likely to... and Sssssss. He later appeared in guest starring roles in several Universal Studios-produced television series, including Emergency!, Marcus Welby, M.D., Kojak, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, and The Rockford Files. He also appeared as Rebel, a southern boy who has a fight with Ralph Malph in Happy Days, and played Jim Bridger in the all-star miniseries Centennial. Also appeared in Threes Company as Elmo, a date for Chrissy Snow.