Jack Lord was born John Joseph Ryan, in a rowdy Irish neighborhood on Halsey Street in Brooklyn, on December 30, 1920. He attended John Adams High School in New York where he manifested talent in painting and woodcarving. With his characteristic lack of modesty, Jack likes to say that he was an artist before he was an actor. He entered New York University on an athletic scholarship and majored in Fine Arts. He served in the Navy during the Korean War. After his discharge from the Navy, Lord decided on an acting career.