After his parents' separation in 1976, Haven and his sister were raised by their mother. She moved with them to Palisades, New York, giving up acting. A decade later, when Haven was 13, the family moved back to Los Angeles, where he attended Beverly Hills High School. Following graduation, he enrolled at the USC School of Cinema-Television. While at the University of Southern California, he received a George Lucas Award for a student film he directed starring his sister.