Graham Fry was born on 20 December 1949, son of Wing Commander Richard Holbrook Fry and Marjorie Fry. He was educated at Brasenose College, University of Oxford (BA 1972), and in 1977 married (1st), Mayko Iida (marriage dissolved 1991), having two sons, and (2nd) in 1994, Toyoko Ando.

Fry entered the Diplomatic Service in 1972, and his career included the following posts: Third, later Second, Secretary, Tokyo, 1974-78; seconded to Invest in Britain Bureau, Department of Industry, 1979-80; Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1981-83; First Secretary, Paris [France], 1983-87; FCO, 1987-88; Political Counsellor, Tokyo, 1989-93; Head, Far Eastern Department, later Far Eastern and Pacific Department, FCO, 1993-95; Director, Northern Asia and Pacific, FCO, 1995-98; High Commissioner, Malaysia, 1998-2001; Deputy Under-Secretary of State, FCO, 2001-03; Director General, Economic, FCO, 2003-04; Ambassador to Japan, 2004-08.