John grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. His father grew up on the South Side of Chicago. A marine, painter, boat captain, and firefighter for over 30 years, his father passed many of his talents on to John. His mother is a first generation immigrant from Rome, Italy. She arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the Christopher Columbus with her brother and parents. John has a fraternal twin brother, a younger brother and older sister. He started acting in elementary school and studied at Loyola University in Chicago. He began doing extra work and stand-in work in television and film in Chicago and now lives in Los Angeles.