Francis made several appearances on Broadway, in such plays as The Devil's Advocate, Gideon and J.B.. He performed frequently on television, including appearances in I Dream Of Jeannie, The Odd Couple, Barney Miller, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hawaii Five-O, Starsky & Hutch, Dark Shadows, Bright Promise, Room 222, Get Smart, The Practice, Little House on the Prairie, The Six Million Dollar Man and General Hospital, which starred his daughter, Genie Francis. He appeared as Carson Brookhaven in the syndicated comedy series Dusty's Trail for one season, 1973-74.