Frank Caldwell was born in 1911 in San Francisco, California. Caldwell came from a family of writers and artist which encouraged him to study art. His was educated at several schools including the San Francisco School of Design, the Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles as well as Warren Rollins located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In his career, Caldwell has been a teacher of art at Los Angeles City College, a United States Marine artist, and ultimately began working in the entertainment industry. His works can be found in many corporate and private collections throughout the United States.