Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, when Barresi was 12 his family moved to Annapolis, Maryland for his father's job at the United States Naval Academy.

Barresi was offered a wrestling scholarship to the University of Maryland but opted to instead enlist in the United States Air Force during the height of the Vietnam War.

[1] Upon returning to civilian life, he soon began working as a fitness trainer at a gym in nearby Riverside, California.

"[11] Barresi toured in a 1980 summer stock suite of scenes from Neil Simon plays, headlined by Paul Lynde.

[12] He had several roles in mainstream film and television projects, including Perfect, Spontaneous Combustion,[13] JAG[citation needed] and Father Dowling Mysteries.