Levin was born in 1937, in Pensacola, Florida. He grew up in a conservative Jewish household, with his mother (Rose), father (Abe), and brothers (David, Herman, Stanley, Martin, and Allen). His father was a pawnbroker catering to the large military presence in the Pensacola area, and also ran the concessions at the Pensacola Greyhound Park and at a store on Pensacola Beach. Levin attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, as an undergraduate, but did not do well academically. Instead, he was known as a drinker, smoker, and gambler. He was a member of Pi Lambda Phi, one of two Jewish fraternities on campus. It was at the University of Florida where he met his future wife, Marilyn, who was a member of the Jewish sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi. The Levins had been married for 51 years upon her death on February 6, 2011, survived by four children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.