Barry was born in Hempstead, New York (on Long Island) to actress B. Constance Barry and Raymond Barry. Before appearing in films he acted in more than seventy-five plays. Barry has come to recent half fame playing Walter Ohlinger in the movie Interview With the Assassin. Ohlinger is a man who claims to be the famed second shooter on the Grassy Knoll of the assassination of JFK. Barry is known for his role as Ron Kovic's (played by Tom Cruise) father in the Academy Award winning film Born on the Fourth of July.