Mechlowicz was born in New York City, the son of Susan (Lehrman), a respiratory therapist, and Morris Mechlowicz. He was raised in a “tight-knit” Jewish family. He grew up in Plano, Texas, where he graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1999, and attended the University of Texas at Austin for one semester. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California, where he studied at UCLA and graduated in 2003, with honors, from the Conservatory Acting Program.