During the 1960s, Brown had a variety of roles in films, including Henri Philipot in The Comedians (1967), Theon Gibson in Dayton's Devils (1968), and Dr. Willard in Bullitt (1968). His 1970s films included Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), The Man (1972), and Wild in the Sky (1972), co-starring Brandon De Wilde, as anti-war, anti-establishment guerrillas, who devise a scheme to destroy Fort Knox with an atomic bomb.
Brown was seven years old when his family moved from Havana to Harlem, NY. At 15, he formed the singing group 'The Parthenons', which had a single TV appearance shortly before breaking up. Brown quit high school at 16, after being invited to do so by a few frustrated teachers. He left New York to move to Los Angeles at 17. After a few years of not being sure what he wanted to do, he decided to go back to school. He passed the college entrance exam and was admitted to Los Angeles City College where he majored in Theater Arts to "take something easy". He ended up really enjoying it and returned to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He worked as a school janitor to pay his tuition. He met his wife Tyne Daly while at AMDA, where they both studied under Philip Burton, Richard Burton's mentor (no relation). They were married for 24 years, from 1966 to 1990. They have three daughters.
Brown later played Tom Harvey (son of Chicken George, great-grandson of Kunta Kinte, and great-grandfather of Alex Haley) in the 1977 television miniseries Roots, and 1979's Roots: The Next Generations.
In 1980, he starred in the TV movie The Night the City Screamed, and the highly successful Stir Crazy opposite Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Later in 1984 he starred in the TV movie The Jesse Owens Story in the role of Lew Gilbert. He then went on to a supporting role in yet another miniseries North & South in 1985 as the character Garrison Grady.
In 1986, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing the final episode (Parting Shots) in Season 5 of Cagney & Lacey.
Brown co-starred in the comedy sequel House Party 2 in 1991, and the Showtime television show Linc's from 1998 thru 2000.
