Born Laruschka Mischa Skikne in Joniskis, Lithuania, he immigrated to South Africa at the age of 5. He grew up in Johannesburg, moving to London in 1946, at age 16. He enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and from there moved to stage and film stardom. His first major role was in Room at the Top, for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he starred in several major films, including Butterfield 8, The Alamo, Darling and The Manchurian Candidate.