His early film credits include appearances in The Happy Hooker (1975), Smile (1975), and as nervous college professor Samuel Graves in the 1976 cult film The Gumball Rally. Notable film credits included appearing alongside william Holden and Lee Grant in Damien: Omen II (1978), as one of the sick passengers in Airplane! (1980), the role of Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise)'s father in the hit movie Risky Business (1983), and as Julian Wells' father in Less Than Zero (1987). His other film credits include The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), Pacific Heights (1990), Executive Decision (1996), The Chamber (1996) and Collateral Damage (2002).