The family moved to California in 1915 when his father began acting in motion pictures. After attending school in Los Angeles, they moved to a ranch in the San Fernando Valley, a style of living he would maintain for the rest of his life.
At the age of seven, he appeared with his father in The Mark of Zorro and like his father, who immediately began billing himself as "Noah Beery Sr.", he went on to become a respected character actor. His paternal uncle, Oscar-winning actor Wallace Beery, became the world's highest-paid actor by 1932, and while neither Beery nor his father ever approached that level, both had long and memorable film careers. The three acting Beerys physically closely resembled each other, but Beery lacked the powerful voice his father and uncle possessed, which is ironic since both older Beerys made major careers in silent movies.
Beery appeared in dozens of films, including a large early role as John Wayne's action partner in The Trail Beyond (1934) (Wayne was 27 years old and Beery was 21), 20 Mule Team with his uncle Wallace Beery, and Red River, again with Wayne.
Beery's early television work included a weekly stint as a clown in Circus Boy with Micky Dolenz in the mid-1950s. In 1960, Beery replaced Burt Reynolds in the co-starring role of Bill Blake on Riverboat, an NBC Western series starring Darren McGavin.
On February 8, 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry, located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
Beery Jr.'s first wife until 1966 was Maxine Jones, the only child of Western star Buck Jones. His second wife from 1968 until his death was Lisa Thorman. He was survived by his wife, Lisa; two daughters, Muffett and Melissa; a son, actor Bucklind Beery; and three step-children, Page, Sean, and Lorena Slattery.
Beery portrayed the buckskin-clad recurring sidekick character "Buffalo Baker" in the 17-episode 1967 television series Hondo starring Ralph Taeger, a role played by Ward Bond in the original 3D John Wayne film. But Beery is best known for his role as Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, the father of Jim Rockford, James Garner's character on The Rockford Files (1974–80).
Beery was best known for playing James Garner's father, "Rocky" in the NBC television series The Rockford Files (1974–80).
Beery died on November 1, 1994 in Tehachapi, California of a cerebral thrombosis, aged 81. He was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
