American supporting player specializing in tough guys. Of Serbian extraction, he was born in Nevada in 1917. As a young man, he boxed in amateur bouts and had early training in theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse. He joined the Air Corps during World War II and was assigned to the troupe performing the Moss Hart Broadway tribute to the Corps, Winged Victory, acting under his first chosen stage name, Barry Mitchell. He appeared in the film version of the show, and after the war became active in radio drama as well as theatre. John Huston spotted him in a play and cast him as a bad guy in The Asphalt Jungle, under the new sobriquet of Brad Dexter. Throughout the Fifties, he continued to play hard cases of a usually villainous stripe, in both crime dramas and Westerns. His most famous role came as one of title characters in The Magnificent Seven, albeit his fame was considerably eclipsed by most of the other members of that band: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and James Coburn. He continued acting into the 1970s, then made a shift into producing.
In 1964, he saved his close friend Frank Sinatra from drowning during the making of "None But the Brave" on location in Hawaii, after an undertow pulled Sinatra from shore while swimming. Originally changed his name to Barry Mitchell. Son of Yugoslavian immigrants. Spoke Serbo-Croatian. Met life-long friend Karl Malden in the Army Air Force during World War II. Both performed in "Winged Victory," a Broadway film touring unit. Is best known for his role as Harry Luck, one of the title characters of The Magnificent Seven. However, he is the one of the seven whom no one can ever remember. Was the second husband of Miss Peggy Lee.