Evans was born Charles Shapera on May 13, 1926, in Manhattan, New York, in the United States, to Archie and Florence (Krasne) Shapera."Mrs. Archie Shapera." New York Times. June 2, 1962.Miller, Stephen. "Charles Evans, 81, Founded Evan-Picone, Produced Films, Built Office Complexes." New York Sun. June 6, 2007. Accessed 2012-10-06. His father was a dentist with a successful practice in Harlem. He had a younger brother, Robert, and sister, Alice. While in his late teens, Charles' father asked his sons to change their last name to their paternal grandmother's maiden name of "Evan". (The name change was seen as a way of honoring her, as she had only a short time to live.) Charles and Robert added the "s" as an homage to the Shapera family name.Evans, p. 18-19. Charles was something of a conformist as a teenager.Evans, p. 19. He graduated from the Horace Mann School in New York City, and attended the University of Miami.
