Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Shryack began his career as a singer in the Escorts quartet, which toured as an opening act for well-known artists such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Sophie Tucker.
[1] His second film, the 1977 thriller The Car, starred James Brolin and Kathleen Lloyd.
[1] Shryack successfully negotiated for $1 million for the script he co-wrote for Turner & Hooch (1989), which was the highest price ever paid for a screenplay by Touchstone Pictures at the time.
[1] Shryack died from congestive heart failure in Duluth on September 14, 2016, at the age of 80.
He was survived by his wife, Kathy, and children, daughter, Jennifer, and son, Chris.