Born in Hamilton, Judy McIntosh grew up in Hawkes Bay, amidst a creative family. All four of her sisters have spent time in the arts, whether as designers, curators, or in the screen world (sister Jan is a veteran television producer). Judy’s own journey began after Auckland’s Theatre Corporate visited high school when she was 14. McIntosh later trained with the same company (under theatre legend Raymond Hawthorne), and joined Theatre Corporate on school tours.