Symonds was born in Bristow, Oklahoma in 1926. While serving in the US Army during World War II, he was stationed in Seattle, where he participated in local theatrical productions. In the 1950s and '60s, he was a member of the San Francisco Actors' Studio. He was the associate director of the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center for eight years, from 1965 through 1972, and performed with the company in numerous productions, including The Caucasian Chalk Circle (with Brock Peters), Cyrano de Bergerac (playing the title role, opposite Leon Russom), A Cry of Players (with Rene Auberjonois and Frank Langella), Mary Stuart (starring Salome Jens in the title role), William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (again co-starring with Rene Auberjonois as well as Stephen McHattie), and The Crucible (with Rob