He was born in Fort Pierce, Florida. He grew up to start a career in water shows, moving on to produce shows. It is sometimes stated he is an Olympic swimmer, although there is little evidence for this. He moved into movies in 1954, playing the underwater role of the Gill-Man in Creature from the Black Lagoon (while Ben Chapman played the monster on land), a feat he repeated in two sequels. He continued in movie production and joined Ivan Tors' studios in Florida, where he was producer on Flipper (1963) and the writer on the following television series. He directed Hello Down There (1969) and Salty (1973). He also worked as second unit director, stunt coordinator and underwater sequence director on a number of features, including Island of the Lost (1967), Caddyshack (1980), Thunderball (1965) and Never Say Never Again (1983).