Leon Gettler was born to Jewish Polish immigrants who had spent seven years in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist period. He grew up in a Yiddish-speaking household and only began speaking English after he started school. After graduating from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he drifted into journalism and worked for a number of newspapers, including The Truth and The Sun News-Pictorial. He has worked also as chief industrial reporter with The Melbourne Age.