Judy Rosenthal was born in Anniston, Alabama to Lucy-Jane Watson Saks and Julien David Saks. Julien was fighting in the US Army in World War II, and therefore he was overseas when Judy was born. Lucy-Jane was living on an army base. After the war, they lived briefly in Alabama and then moved to Houston, Texas.
As a young child, Judy loved art and horseback riding. She went to Bellaire High School and earned a BFA from Sophie Newcomb College at Tulane University in Painting and Sculpture where she was the Art Editor, The Tiresian.
