Frangiamore was born to Salvatore and Francesca Garofalo Frangiamore of Mussomeli, Sicily. His father sailed for America in the spring of 1907, initially staying with the Mistretta family in New York City before moving westward subsequently settling at 174 Terrace in Buffalo's Italian colony. Frangiamore grew up in the Sicilian-Italian neighborhoods along Dante Place (formerly Canal Street). He attended Buffalo Public School No. 2 through the seventh grade. After leaving school at the age of 15, he went to work as a construction laborer.