In 1993, Dane moved to Los Angeles, where he played small roles in the television series Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years, Roseanne, and Married. Dane was an athlete in high school, playing on the boys' varsity water polo team, but pursued a career in acting after appearing in a school production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, from 1987 to 1990, and San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California, from 1990 to 1991, where he graduated. They were raised by their mother in the Jewish faith, and Dane had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. When Dane was 7 years old, his father died of a gunshot wound.
Dane was born in San Francisco, California, to William Melvin.
