Terry was born on 15 August 1945[1] in Bristol, the son of Frank Albert Terry OBE, DFC,[2] a pilot in the Royal Air Force, and his wife, Doreen.[1] The family soon moved to Truro, Cornwall, where his father worked as a probation officer.[2] Terry attended Truro School in Truro, where he developed an interest in acting and became skilled at drawing and painting.
His parents encouraged him to go on the stage, and after working briefly in forestry and as a petrol pump attendant, he joined the National Youth Theatre.[3][4] He enrolled at London's Central School of Speech and Drama in 1963, working both on stage and behind the scenes. He joined the Oxford Meadow Players in 1966, working initially as assistant stage manager.
In 1993, after 30 years of living in London, Terry moved back to Cornwall.[9] He was a very private person.[10][5][11]
Terry died of emphysema in Newquay, Cornwall, on 30 April 2015, at the age of 69.[5] In the absence of any surviving close family, his memorial service was organised by close friends Maggie Steed and David Horovitch in Truro on 19 May 2015, attended by fellow actors and friends.