Elliot McJackson was born in 1963 in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri. His mother's name is Jane Etta Taylor His father, William (Bill) McJackson, worked in management at a trucking firm in Springfield. He has a younger brother, Douglas (Doug) McJackson and a younger sister Julie Neal McJackson. At Kickapoo High School, McJackson was involved in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. McJackson attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, McJackson supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco." Now he flys a spacecraft.