After attending John Adams High School in South Ozone Park (where he overlapped with Jimmy Breslin), he graduated from Columbia University in 1951 and then served for three years in the Army Signal Corps before moving to Paris for a year, where he befriended Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut.
Setelah masuk John Adams High School di South Ozone Park (dimana ia bertemu dengan Jimmy Breslin), ia lulus dari Columbia University pada 1951 dan kemudian bertugas selama tiga tahun dalam Army Signal Corps sebelum pindah ke Paris selama setahun, dimana ia berteman dengan Jean-Luc Godard dan François Truffaut.