Charney was born in
Brooklyn, New York, on April 1, 1937, the son of Rose—née Resnick—and Abraham Charney. He is a graduate of
Abraham Lincoln High School and of
Brooklyn College, Majoring in speech and theatre, while also reinforcing his studies via
summer stock engagements (primarily with the
Woodstock Playhouse), Charney earned his BA in 1960 and made his
Off-Broadway debut the following April in
Edward Albee's
Zoo Story, replacing
Peter Mark Richman as
Jerry. In 1962, Charney sought to further his education, as part of the Lincoln Center Training Program. Many of Charney's earliest screen roles were on daytime television, with appearances in numerous soaps. Charney created the role of creepy Julian Dark in the early to mid-1960s on the CBS soap,
The Secret Storm. He played Sam Lucas, a former convict who became a lawyer, in both
Another World and its
spin-off Somerset, playing the role from 1967 to 1974. He also appeared as
Lt. Vince Wolek on
One Life to Live (1975–1977). Other roles were on
Love of Life and
All My Children. Charney portrayed newspaper editor Ted Bergman in the 1977
CBS series
The Andros Targets. In 1980, he played Capt. Roger Westerby, an old flame of Corabeth Godsey, in a season eight episode of
The Waltons. He had a recurring role as Frank Angelino,
Jack Tripper's boss, on ''
Three's Company (1981–1983). He is often cast as a judge, attorney, prison warden, or police officer. He has made appearances on Knots Landing,Falcon Crest, Dynasty, Night Court and 100 Centre Street, among many other series. He can also be seen in the recurring role of Judge Donald Karan on Law & Order''. In 1982, Charney portrayed renowned
theatre director and
drama critic Harold Clurman in
Universal's
Frances Farmer biopic (alongside
Jessica Lange as
Farmer and
Jeffrey DeMunn as
Clifford Odets); he has also appeared in such films as
The Hospital,
Network, and
Ghostbusters, and acted on the
CBS Radio Mystery Theater. 1982 also marked the beginning of Charney's tenure as artistic director of Actors Alley theater in the San Fernando Valley in California. By November 1986 the group's membership had grown from 22 when he arrived to 70. It offered weekly classes for members and presented both free and paid-admission plays for the public. ==Family and personal life==