Terry Mross, born in 1951 in Harrisburg, Arkansas, a rural farming community, is the youngest of four children. He graduated from T.A. Futrall High School in Marianna, Arkansas. Mross' acting career began with a role in Merchant/Ivory's The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991),starring Vanessa Redgrave, who encouraged him to pursue acting as a career. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as "Coach Conrad" in Dazed and Confused (1993),directed by Richard Linklater, for which he is best known.
In addition to his acting career, Mross is also a talented singer, playing electric guitar and owning a Fender Telecastor. He has performed Country and Western and R&B music. Before becoming an actor, Mross worked as a DJ at KFFA Radio in Helena, Arkansas, in 1973. He was a guest host on the King Biscuit Time Radio Show, sitting in for "Sunshine" Sonny Payne. Mross was a guest on the show in September 2016, and was interviewed by Payne.
The King Biscuit Time Radio Show, originally featuring Sonny Boy Williamson playing live every day at noon, is the longest running show in history, having been broadcast over 17,000 times. Notable musicians such as B.B. King, Levon Helm, and others credit the program as a significant influence on their musical style while growing up in the Delta. Levon Helm recalled going to town at noon to buy donuts and a coke, then watching the show live at the radio station as a child.
