Stanford's real name was Leonardo Stanford. Born in Sydney in 1924, he was the son of Carlos Leonardo (1890-1969) and Bridget Maynard (1898-1973). Stanford attended and studied . After graduated with Bachelor of Theology degree in 1943, Stanford joined and served as a during the in the . After the war, he moved to and became an stage actor on in 1947. Stanford participated in many vaudeville plays as a stunt performer and under his stage name Len Stanford. In 1949, Stanford became an radio announcer at the and remained active for 30 years. 