Ulrich was raised in North Carolina by his father (his parents were divorced). His father reportedly misspelled Bryan's first name on the birth certificate as "Brain". The nickname "Skeet" originated from the nickname "Skeeter" he was given by his Little League coach due to his small stature (like that of a mosquito). Along with his slight frame he had poor health, including numerous bouts with pneumonia, and had open heart surgery at the age of 10. He also had nicknames such as "Chester" and "Mosquito." His stepfather is former NASCAR driver D.K. Ulrich.

Ulrich graduated from Northwest Cabarrus High School, where he was a soccer standout. After initially enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to study Marine Biology, he switched to New York University, and was subsequently noticed by playwright David Mamet.

After joining the Atlantic Theater Company as an apprentice, Ulrich performed with the group, which got him noticed yet again, this time by director Stacy Cochran. She cast him in an ABC After School Special. With her help he also received his first notable role on screen in 1996 as the loutish boyfriend of Winona Ryder in Boys. Ulrich is perhaps best known for his role as Billy Loomis, Neve Campbell's boyfriend in Wes Craven's Scream.

In later years Ulrich has not seen as much professional success, but has had a few memorable roles that attracted some notice. He had a small but pivotal role as an emotionally conflicted homosexual hustler in As Good as It Gets, he starred as Juvenal, a young man with stigmata and healing powers in the film Touch, and he appeared in Ride with the Devil, an American Civil War drama directed by Ang Lee. He also played computer hacker Kevin Mitnick in the film Takedown.

On television, Ulrich starred in the short-lived ABC series Miracles, and appeared in TNT's multiple Emmy-nominated miniseries, Into the West. Ulrich was recently cast in the CBS drama Jericho, which will premiere in Fall, 2006.

--Wikipedia