Elyse Danielle Cantor was born in the suburbs of Metro Detroit. She spent her childhood years acting, dancing, and singing around the house, as well as competing in dance for Miss Barbara's Dance Centre. A voracious reader, Elyse was accepted to Cranbrook Kingswood at age eleven, where her parents felt she would be better academically challenged. It was here that her love of the arts was encouraged by various faculty, as she took acting, vocal, and additional dance classes, as well as appeared in various school performances. She continued following her passions at the University of Michigan, where she studied film, and then at NYU, where she studied acting. Elyse is the daughter of Judy Sklar and Scott Cantor, and has one younger brother named Blake.