Early life, personal and education

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Birney was born in Washington, D.C., the first child of Jeanne (née McGee) and Edwin B. Birney, a special agent for the FBI.^[1]
He attended schools in Brooklyn, Ohio, and graduated from West High School in Cleveland. Named to the National Honor Society, he lettered in basketball, football and track. He holds a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College with "High Distinction" in English Literature, English Honors. At UCLA, Birney earned an M. A. in Theatre Arts, acting and directing, studying with Ralph Freud and William Melnitz. He held a Teaching Assistant Fellowship. He was honored with a Ph.D (hon.) in Humanities from Southern Utah University.
In 1974, he married actress Meredith Baxter. They had starred together in the 1972-73 TV series Bridget Loves Bernie. During their marriage, she was known as Meredith Baxter Birney. He and Baxter had three children — Kathleen Jeanne ("Kate"; born December 5, 1974) and twins Mollie Elizabeth and Peter David Edwin (born October 2, 1984). He and Baxter divorced in 1989.