vɐlˈeɪhoʊ ɡˈæntnɚ wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn sˌæn fɹænsˈɪskoʊ, kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə tʊ ˈɔːθɚ nˈiːlmə ɡˈæntnɚ ænd hɪz bɹˈʌðɚ kæɹˈɪloʊ ɡˈæntnɚ, ɐ nˈoʊɾᵻd fɪlˈænθɹəpˌɪst, ˈæktɚ, dᵻɹˈɛktɚɹ ænd θˈiəɾɚɹ ˌɑːntɹɪpɹənˈʊɹ, hiː mˈuːvd wɪð hɪz fˈæmɪli tə mˈɛlbɚn, ɔːstɹˈeɪliə æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv twˈɛlv.
Vallejo Gantner was born in San Francisco, California to author Neilma Gantner and his brother Carrillo Gantner, a noted philanthropist, actor, director and theatre entrepreneur, he moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia at the age of 12.