Manson moved to New York City to become an actor and worked steadily on and off Broadway throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. Among his credits were productions of
Othello and
Macbeth at the Barrymore Theater. In the 1950s, he moved to
Hollywood,
California, and was cast mostly in small roles. He appeared in films such as
Hellcats of the Navy and
The Spirit of St. Louis. On television, he guest-starred on five episodes of the
CBS legal drama,
Perry Mason, starring
Raymond Burr, including the role of murder victim Charles Sabin (and his brother Arthur) in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot," murder victim Joseph Kraft in "The Case of the Bogus Books," and as Jess Parkinson in "The Case of the Dead Ringer" in which Burr played dual roles as Mason and murderer Grimes. He portrayed Mayor Orson Stillman in "The Case of the Bullied Bowler" and Dr. Grandby in "The Case of Demure Defendant". He appeared five times on the
NBC sitcom,
Hazel, starring
Shirley Booth. He also appeared on
The Americans,
Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
Leave It to Beaver, Dennis the Menace, The Munsters, and
Gunsmoke (S1E20 & S1E31). ==Broadway roles==