Greene was born to Jewish parents, Carl and Bessie Greenfield, and raised on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois.
He enjoyed performing as a youth as a singer and drama club he formed while attending Sullivan High School. He emulated his older brother, who liked to speak in accents.
He served in the United States Navy during World War II for three years and was discharged in 1944. He was briefly—but more than once—enrolled at Wright Junior College.

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