Eric Bruno Borgman was born at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where his father, George A. Borgman, was stationed in Vietnam at the time of his birth. His mother, Janet Borgman, was living at her mother's house in Westwood, Massachusetts, where Eric lived for almost a year.
When his father's term was up in Vietnam, Eric's family moved to Carbondale, Illinois, where he discovered the comedy of Laurel & Hardy, which had a profound influence on him. The family next moved to Lawton, Oklahoma, where they lived until moving to Germany.
