Garland was born on November 13, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He was raised in the Chicago area, [3] in the northern suburb of Lincolnwood.[4]
Garland's mother Shirley (née Horwitz) was a director of volunteer services at Chicago's Council for Jewish Elderly; his father, Cyril Garland, headed Garland Advertising, a small business run out of the family's home.