Sandi Governale was born on January 27, 1916 in New York City, the fifth of eight children. His parents had both been born in Italy; in 1920 his father was working as a driver with a livery stable. He graduated from Haaren High School, a vocational high school in midtown Manhattan, and studied drawing and painting at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students' League in New York City. He was particularly interested in (and adept at) lettering, design, and poster art. He won first prize in a national poster contest in 1935 on the subject of "Greed: Destroyer of Civilizations."

In 1938 he married Josephine Pagliuca; they lived in Brooklyn while he worked as a commercial artist. When he registered for the draft, on October 16, 1940, he was working at Sudler & Haines, likely an ad agency. When he enlisted in the Army, on February 24, 1943, he was living in the Bronx and working as a commercial artist. As was true for many other New York artists and art students, he was assigned to the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion, and served in Europe with the unit. He was discharged in the summer of 1945 with the rank of T/4.

He and Josephine became the parents of a daughter, Sandra, born while he was overseas. After his return he continued his career as a commercial artist with several major ad agencies, and then became a package and label designer at Schenley Liquor Company.

Opening credits from the movie "To Catch a Thief"

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