Jodie Fisher was born on July 17,1969, to Polly (Crawford) and Dale Fisher. She was raised in Dallas, Texas, with one younger sister, Jill. Jodie is of Irish, English and Norwegian descent. She started performing at an early age as a dancer and began competing with the Dallas Dolls Drill Team Ensemble. At 16, she won the National Miss Drill Team Competition in Norman, OK. She also competed at the Texas State Fair and in numerous beauty pageants including Miss Teenage America.

After graduating from Texas Tech University with her degree in Political Science, Jodie "accidentally" went on a cattle call audition in New York City and booked her first pilot for Aaron Spelling. Jodie moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning, booking leading roles in various films. In 1992, she joined the Screen Actors Guild and began an intensive two year program with Baron Brown Studios where she studied acting with DW Brown.