Michael Brandon was born as Michael Feldman in Brooklyn, New York, one of three siblings of Jewish ancestry, to car mechanic Sol Feldman (1920-1988) and his wife Miriam (née Tumin or Tumen, 1922-1999). After graduating from school, he briefly attended law classes, but was already determined to forge his career as an actor in films. In 1965, Brandon successfully auditioned at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (reading scenes from Hamlet and The Teahouse of the August Moon), graduating two years
