hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ˌɔn mˈɑːɹtʃ twˈɛnti tˈuː, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd tˈɛn, ɪn dˈoːɹtʃɛstɚ, bˈɔstən wˌɛɹ hɪz fˈɑːðɚ, θˈoːɹvəld mˈɑːɹtɪn tˈændbɜːɡ aɪ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti, mˈænɪdʒd ɐ ɹˈɛstɹɑːnt.
He was born on March 22, 1910, in Dorchester, Boston where his father, Thorvald Martin Tandberg I (1874–1970), managed a restaurant.