Joe Estevez was born in Dayton, Ohio to a Catholic, Galician (Spanish) father, Francisco Estévez (1898–1974), and an Irish mother, Mary Anne (née Phelan) (1903–1951). He is one of ten children—nine boys and one girl. As a child, he lived in the South Park neighborhood of Dayton. He attended Chaminade-Julienne High School, a Catholic High School located in Dayton. Upon his graduation, he enlisted and served in the United States Navy. He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle