Born in New York City, the son of Swedish immigrants from Gothenburg (father) and Visby (mother), Carlson attended New York City public schools P.S. 36 and DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx before gaining a scholarship to attend The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut [REF].
Carlson was married to Barbara Carlson from 1965 to 1977.