Emerson was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Carol (née Hansen) and Ronald H. Emerson. He grew up in Toledo, Iowa, where he attended South Tama County High School and was a member of its marching band.\n', '

He graduated in 1976 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he majored in Theater and a minored in Art. He studied a semester at the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O\'Neill Theater Center,[citation needed] then moved to New York City. Unable to find acting work, he took retail jobs and worked as an illustrator. In 1986, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where (from 1986–93) he appeared in local productions at Theater Jacksonville and The Players by the Sea and worked as a director and teacher at Flagler College.[citation needed] After several years of differing kinds of work including illustration and teaching, Emerson earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Alabama in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival acting program.\n', '

Upon graduation from the University of Alabama in 1995, Emerson returned to New York City, where he appeared in the annual Alabama Shakespeare Festival showcase.[citation needed]\n', '

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