Jerry Ziesmer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a postal employee and his wife, who was the daughter of Dutch immigrants. He graduated on a scholarship from Milwaukee's Rufus King High School in 1957. He received a bachelor's degree in acting from Northwestern University in 1961. After graduation he moved to Beverly Hills and took a job as a United States Post Office employee and later, a part-time junior high school Teacher. In 1964 he married Mary Kate Denny, with whom he had three children. He later obtained a master's degree from UCLA. He received a Directors Guild training certificate for assistant Directors in 1969, applying to the program after reading an advertisement in Variety.