Within weeks of relocating from New York to Los Angeles to further pursue his acting career, Kerr Smith landed the role of Jack McPhee on "Dawson's Creek" and has been praised for his performance as a teen struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality. During his hiatus from "Dawson's Creek," Smith worked on the television movie "Ground Zero" and the independent feature "Pressure."

Smith grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Exton, Pa. During his senior year of high school, he made his first dramatic performance playing Sir Edward Ramsey in his school's production of "The King and I." He then attended the University of Vermont, where he received a B.A. in business administration.

After graduating, Smith returned to Exton to start a marketing firm with his father, a financial advisor. When he discovered that he enjoyed making the presentations more than the actual business, he decided to move to New York and pursue acting.

It didn't take Smith long to find work in New York. Smith starred on the big screen in the thrillers "Final Destination" and "The Forsaken." He has also appeared in "The Broken Hearts Club" a romantic comedy and two independent features: the romantic comedy "Hit" and "Runway," which received the Screenwriters Award at the 1999 Los Angeles International Film Festival, and the improvisational comedy "Kiss and Tell."

Offscreen, the self-taught pianist enjoys writing music in his home recording studio and is working on an original screenplay. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles, Calif. and Wilmington, N.C..