Peter Brown got into acting when he was in the army by organizing a theater group on base to occupy his spare time while stationed in Alaska After his discharge he enrolled in the acting program at UCLA and starting in the mid1950s found employment in many of the western films and series being turned out at the time he is especially remembered for his work as eager young deputy Johnny McKay in the classic western series Lawman 1958 and as one of a trio of Texas Rangers in the western actioncomedy series Laredo 1965 Following the end of a contract with Universal Pictures 19651972 he switched to soap operas and madeforTV films and has been steadily employed ever since