Terry began his acting career while in the Army, and upon completing his service, decided to move to Hollywood to pursue acting. A multi-talented star, he had no problem finding work with his acting, singing and piano playing. After a few bit parts, he found a starring role on Ark II, and was soon courted by '"The Young and the Restless' (1973)' to fill in for departing stars, but insisted he would only take a new role, which was finally offered to him as Jack Abbott, the character that would make him world famous and garner him a long string of Daytime Emmy nominations. Though a perennial nominee, he was outspoken against the Academy and as a result never won the Best Actor award that always seemed like a lock. After years on Y&R, he left for the Santa Barbara, to replace his friend Lane Davies as Mason Capwell. With that show in its twilight, Terry took some time off before moving to New York to take a role on As The World Turns, where he was close with the head writers. As that show's writing team changed, his role decreased, and Terry left in frustration in 1994. Moving back to Hollywood, he made a few appearances on television, but spent most of his time either acting on stage or composing music for various media. In late 2003, Terry died at home from a pair of heart attacks.