Martin was born in East York, Ontario (in the east end of Toronto). He grew up in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada and lived in Paris, France from the age of 8-10. Martin has an African Canadian father, Russell Martin Sr., and a white, French Canadian mother, singer and actress, Suzanne Jeanson. His parents separated when he was only two years old. "I don't really remember when my parents separated, and it's probably better that way because I know kids these days go through some tough times," says Martin. His father used to play saxophone in Montreal subway stations to help pay for his baseball training