He is the son of Latvian immigrants Valija and Henry Nukis and was born and reared in the city of Manchester, Connecticut. Fred was the second of two sons, and his parents’ marriage was already in crisis when he was born. Fred’s biological father left when he was five years old, while the first two years were challenging.
Norris says, “There was still frustration and fury.” “My father suffered with drinking. You hid in the closet when Dad came home and there was always something going on that you didn’t want to be a part of.” Fred lived the most of his life alone. Fred’s older brother, Robert, had little to do with him when he wasn’t treating him as a human punching bag.
But Fred will read comics, go on lengthy bike rides, or watch a lot of afternoon TV reruns (whence originated his encyclopedic knowledge of vintage fifties TV) (whence came his encyclopedic knowledge of classic fifties TV). “For the record, every single individual on Howard’s program, including Robin, had at least a father figure to lead them,” he says. “I had to fend for myself.”
Despite his lack of direction, Norris was able to properly handle his adolescence. Norris’ mother married his stepfather, Lewis Norris, a cabinet craftsman, when he was 13 years old, and Norris praises him for eventually making his mother happier. Unlike his own father, Norris’ stepfather treated him with honor. He started playing guitar during this point.
