Carlos Royal was born to Frank Royal and Marie Church Royal in Bakersfield, California. He acted in numerous stage productions while attending Foothill High School under the direction of drama teacher Peggy Latenschlager. Among those productions were Babes in Toyland, Lil' Abner, and Damn Yankees. He was said to have stolen the show for his role as Gonzorgo. He also enjoyed performing children's theater in local schools with his classmates. He attended Point Loma College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) earning a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication in 1980. Carlos is now a retired middle school teacher and resides in Bakersfield, California.