Fine was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the second son of Maxine Parker Makover and Terry Fine, a professional golfer. He has one older brother, Todd, and one younger sister, Kelly. His parents divorced when he was six. He was raised in Hickory Flat and Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Los Angeles, California when he was fifteen, and has lived in that area since. In 1986, he graduated from Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California. He attended Pitzer College in Claremont, CA for 1 year and eventually earned his Aviation Science degree from Utah Valley University.

In 1989, Fine got his big break when he landed the role as mute and bald Pony Express rider Ike McSwain on ABC’s new Western series The Young Riders, also starring Anthony Zerbe, Brett Cullen, Melissa Leo, Ty Miller, Josh Brolin, Stephen Baldwin, Yvonne Suhor, and Gregg Rainwater. Fine left the show early in the third and last season, when his character was killed trying to protect the girl that he loved (portrayed by guest actress Kelli Williams (Medical Investigation, The Practice)).

On Valentine’s Day, 1993, Fine married Jessica Resnick, but the couple divorced in 1995. On June 29, 2002, he married his present wife, Kristine Fine (b. Hostetter). He has two daughters born in 1994 and 2004, and a son born in 2007. Fine is Jewish.

Upon selling his first screenplay, The Lords of the Sea (written in 1994), to Howard Koch Jr., Travis Fine was hired to write episodes for Diagnosis: Murder and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In 1996, he attended the New York Film Academy, where he wrote, directed and produced several short films. A year later, he wrote, produced and directed his first feature-length film, The Others, a high school comedy.

In 2002, Fine started a new career in aviation and attended ATP flight school. In 2003, Fine became a commercial airline pilot when he was hired as a first officer flying Embraer regional jets for Chatauqua Airlines, although he said he “ha[s] not ruled out doing more acting” and he continues writing screenplays.

In 2012, Fine co-wrote, produced and directed Any Day Now, an LGBT film set in the 1970s, starring Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva, and Frances Fisher. Travis produced the film with his wife Kristine Hostetter Fine. Before its US release, Any Day Now won awards including: