In 1983, the gritty coming-of-age drama Bad Boys introduced movie audiences to a young actor named Eric Gurry in his breakout role as the troubled teenager Horowitz.
Playing opposite Sean Penn, Gurry’s raw and emotional performance earned him rave reviews and marked him as an exciting new talent to watch.
However, while many of his Bad Boys co-stars went on to long successful Hollywood careers, Gurry seemed to disappear from the spotlight shortly after the film’s release. So what exactly happened to this promising 1980s star?
Background Information
Eric Gurry was born on December 14, 1966. Eric Gurry’s acting career began in the late 1970s as a teen actor, first appearing in minor guest roles on television shows like ABC Weekend Specials (1981) and CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre (1982).
He also gained valuable stage experience early on, with roles in the off-Broadway comedy, Table Settings (1980); and Woody Allen’s Broadway play, The Floating Light Bulb (1981), with Beatrice Arthur, Danny Aiello and Jack Weston.
Bad Boys (1983)
In 1983, Eric Gurry took on what would become his most iconic role in the film “Bad Boys.” The movie, not to be confused with the action-comedy franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, was a gritty drama that delved into the lives of juvenile delinquents.
Gurry plays Barry Horowitz, a small, wiry Jewish teenager who is Mick O’Brien’s (Sean Penn) cellmate at the Rainford Juvenile Correctional Facility.
Horowitz was sentenced to Rainford after firebombing a bowling alley in retaliation for being assaulted. At Rainford, Horowitz becomes Mick’s friend and ally as they try to survive the brutal juvenile detention center dominated by violent teens like Viking and Tweety.
Though more diminutive and intellectual than the hardened Mick, Horowitz proves he can be just as cunning and vicious. After Mick beats up Viking and Tweety, earning respect, Horowitz tries to get revenge on Paco for raping Mick’s girlfriend by making a homemade bomb. When it backfires, hurting Viking instead, Horowitz is condemned to solitary confinement.
Gurry’s Horowitz served as the perfect counterpart to Penn’s Mick – clever yet reckless, vulnerable yet dangerous. Gurry earned strong notices for bringing empathy and depth to the volatile Horowitz.
Later Acting Career
Following his acclaimed performance in Bad Boys, Eric Gurry struggled to build on his early momentum, taking mostly small supporting roles through the mid-1980s.
In 1985, he played ‘Danny’ in the TV movie Full House and had a guest spot on the show The Zoo Gang as ‘Alfie’ in 1986.
His most substantial post-Bad Boys role came starring as the title character in the gender-bending comedy Willy/Milly in 1986. However, the campy farce was a box office and critical failure.
Life After Acting
After a promising start as a young actor in the early 1980s, Eric Gurry abruptly walked away from Hollywood shortly after his 1986 comedy Willy/Milly.
Gurry graduated Ridgewood High School in 1985 in his hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey.
He then went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude in 1989 with a BA.
In the 1990s, Gurry embarked on a new path in the business world, earning an MBA and a law degree from the University of Chicago. Armed with impressive new credentials, he dove into finance and entrepreneurship.
Gurry first cut his teeth doing private equity legal work at the firm Kirkland & Ellis from 1996 to 1999.
He then pivoted to a business role as a senior executive at the mortgage company Prism Financial Corp in 1999. Gurry helped oversee major mergers and acquisitions before Prism’s sale to Royal Bank of Canada in 2000.
After a short stint managing the integration at RBC, he moved to the hedge fund Aragorn Managers as Managing Director in 2002.
Gurry gained experience in distressed assets and deep value investing.
In 2008, he co-founded the merchant bank Akoya Capital in Chicago, serving as Managing Partner. Through Akoya, he pursued private equity deals and worked closely with management teams.
Over the next decade, Gurry would continue founding and advising startups ranging from pharmaceuticals to green energy.
What is Eric Gurry Doing Now?
Eric Gurry remains actively involved in business and entrepreneurship. Since 2018, he has been a Co-Founder of Blockalicious LLC, a stealth-mode startup leveraging distributed ledger technology to develop innovative solutions.
He also serves as Principal of two investment firms – Solterra Capital, financing renewable energy projects, and ValueICR, advising lower middle market companies. Through leadership roles at these firms, Gurry is able to utilize his extensive financial experience and entrepreneurial skills.
He continues to consult and invest in forward-thinking startups and established companies alike.
Though he left acting behind decades ago, Gurry has found new ways to exercise his creative business acumen and stay engaged in dynamic industries.
Personal Life
In his personal life, Eric Gurry has been married to Suzanne Michele Mahon since July 3, 1994.
They wed in an interfaith ceremony officiated by Rabbi Richard Weiss and Rev. David Harvey at the Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Suzanne, originally from Michigan, graduated from Albion University and completed premedical studies at NYU.
The couple now has three children together.