 His slight build, frizzy hair and pince-nez glasses cast him as the "absent minded professor" or eccentric scientist type in many of his films, such as the character who discovers the element kryptonite in "Adventures of Superman".He is best remembered for his role as Professor Newton in the 1954 TV science fiction show "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger".He died of a heart attack at age 69 while the Rocky Jones show was still in production; his Professor Newton character was replaced by a new character, Professor Mayberry.