An influential figure of the Beat Generation, he was more known for his charismatic personality and adventures than for traditional acting roles. Born in 1926 in Salt Lake City, he became a central muse for writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. His frenetic energy and zest for life inspired the character Dean Moriarty in Kerouac's "On the Road." Though not a conventional actor, he appeared in counterculture films and was a key figure in the early psychedelic movement, driving Ken Kesey's bus, Further.