Naughton was born in West Hartford, Connecticut the son of Rosemary (née Walsh) and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers. Naughton attended the University of Pennsylvania.

Naughton first became widely known as a result of his singing and dancing appearances in Dr Pepper TV commercials. He starred in the sitcom Makin' It and hit the Billboard Top Ten in 1979 with the show's theme song, also titled "Makin' It." He also appeared in the television series My Sister Sam and also in episodes of MacGyver, Melrose Place, Murder, She Wrote, JAG and Seinfeld (see episode: The Red Dot). He is the brother of accomplished theater and film actor James Naughton and uncle of Keira Naughton and Greg Naughton.