Perry received a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama at Yale University and proceeded on to Julliard to study under John Houseman.  He's made over 50 films and made-for-television movies; including a few television series' and stage appearances; directed productions; contributed his voice as Han Solo in the National Public Radio's "Star Wars" series and participated in the CD-ROM game "Emergency Room".  He is widely known for portraying 'Cody Allen' in the 1984 -1986 NBC Series Riptide; 'Hayley Armstrong' in the Fox series Melrose Place in 1995; 'Richard Williams' in the 2000 NBC Series Titans and most recently he played President Blake in 2004's The Day After Tomorrow.

In 1984 he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion picture Made for Television for his performance in The Hasty Heart co-starring Gregory Harrison and Cheryl Ladd. 

Perry married Karen Hryharrow, his college sweetheart, when he was 19 and had a daughter, Louise, on November 5, 1970.  Their marriage ended in 1980.

An avid motorcyclist with over 30 in his collection, he met Jamison [Jamie] Elvidge, an avid motorcyclist in her own right and one-time editor of the motorcycle magazine, American Woman Road Riding.  On June 9, 1990 they were married and in February 1992, daughter Hannah was born. The couple have since divorced.  He also enjoys auto racing and has competed in several celebrity/charity events. 

Perry has participated with the annual 'Love Ride' and 'Ride for Kids' in Los Angeles; on the Advisory Board at the American Academy where his most enjoyable work is unofficial coaching of students; is the national spokesperson for the Olive Crest Homes for Abused Children in Orange County, California, and remains  involved with that particular charity for over 20 years.  Perry also enjoys auto racing and has competed in several celebrity and charity races over the years. In 2004 he was the national spokesperson for the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

Perry is 'dad' first and foremost.  Daughter Louise, born in 1970, is a graduate cum laude with a juris doctorate and is presently finishing her medical residency. In February 2005 Louise gave birth to daughter Kate, making Perry a grandfather at 57.  Youngest daughter Hannah is Ivy League bound and is presently attending school in California.

Perry’s favorite times are spent exploring Death Valley and working on his 500+ acre ranch in northern California, which he purchased around the time he portrayed Clint Brannan in Family Channel’s 1998 television film, ‘The Cowboy and the Movie Star’.  In his own words, “I loved the character so much I decided to become him.”  He doesn’t like to talk about himself, watch his own work and doesn't like to dwell in the past.  He'd much rather  “look forward and up, if that makes sense.” 

More than thirty years after his debut in The Possession of Joel Delaney, Perry King is still performing a multitude of different roles for television and film and sums up his career as an actor in this manner:  "Even if I never work again I'm one of the luckiest actors who's ever lived."