He was born Eric Vincent Smith in Santa Monica, California on August 1, 1963 at Santa Monica Hospital. His father, the late John Smith, work as Tool and Worker for Hughes Aircraft and his mother, the late Helen Dudley, a devout Catholic, worked as a Cafeteria Worker for St. Johns Hospital for over twenty years. He has one older sister and was raised primarily by his single mother. He fell into acting quite a few years ago, when a friend, a girlfriend, dared him to submit a picture to a production company that was presently casting its first commercial for Levi's 501 Jeans. He booked it and the rest is history.