Forry Smith was born on December 1, 1952 in Waterloo, Iowa. After attending Iowa State University, he played professional football for a few years, first with the Buffalo Bills, then with the Seattle Seahawks. He later returned to his hometown in Waterloo, Iowa, and began his second career as a high school English teacher and football coach.

Wanting a new challenge, Forry decided to become an actor and moved to Hawaii. This may not be the most direct route to stardom, but it certainly worked for Smith. He strategically met Magnum, P.I. star Tom Selleck and got some advice.

Finally making the move to Los Angeles, Forry broke in to TV on shows like Jake and the Fatman, Matlock and Santa Barbara. He had a memorable role on Broken Badges, which also starred Eileen Davidson. In addition, he appeared in a few feature films, including We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson.

Since then, Forry has added screenwriting to his resume. He wrote and co-starred in his own movie, Paparazzi, a film he was asked to write by Mel Gibson.

Forry is married to actress Cheryl Richardson (General Hospital). They have two children.