Born in Dorset, he began his acting career after serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. After his first, uncredited small role in Sir Carrol Reed's "The Third Man" in 1949, the versatile Brown often was cast in historical adventures, including "Helen of Troy" (1956), "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "The 300 Spartans" (1962). He also played Roger Moore's sidekick in the popular 1950s British television series "Ivanhoe," and co-starred with Bernard Lee in the 1960s British TV series "King of the River."