Joss Whedon was born in New York City. He has been described as the world's first third-generation TV writer,[6] as he is the son of Tom Whedon, a screenwriter for The Electric Company in the 1970s and The Golden Girls in the 1980s, and the grandson of John Whedon, a writer for The Donna Reed Show in the 1950s.[7][8] His mother, Lee Stearns, taught history at Riverdale Country School as Lee Whedon,[9] and was an aspiring novelist.[7] Whedon is the younger brother of Samuel and Matthew Whedon and older brother of writers Jed and Zack Whedon.[10]
Whedon graduated from Wesleyan University in 1987. Before going to Wesleyan, he spent two years at Winchester College in England. He attended Riverdale Country School in New York City where his mother taught history.[11] At a young age he was a prolific writer, loved Monty Python and showed great interest in acting.[12]