Wheeler was born in Winter Haven, Florida, the daughter of Irving, a lawyer, and Carolyn Wheeler, a singer, and has three brothers. She first acted on stage at age nine. She graduated from Winter Haven High School, and later attended Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina. She also attended the University of Florida at Gainesville, where she earned a master's degree in drama and English, as well as earning a doctorate from Florida State University at Tallahassee.
