Tommy Lee Jones was born on September 15, 1946 in Texas to a father who worked the oil fields whom he admits abused him. When his father accepted a job working in African oil fields, Jones earned himself a scholarship to a prestigious prep school to stay in the U.S. Combining his athletic talents with his academic prowess, Jones managed to win another scholarship – this time to Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. He majored in English literature while also finding a love for theater, according to Biography.

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. was born on March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C. although his family hailed from Tennessee, with his father being a member of Congress representing that state. He spent his school years in the nation's capital and summers at the family's Tennessee home, eventually landing at Harvard University (via Biography).

According to The Harvard Crimson, the school's official newspaper, Gore and Jones didn't start out as roommates, but they did live across the hall from one another. After hitting it off and becoming friends, they decided to room together and years later Gore told the college publication that Jones was "a great guy and a wonderful, lifelong friend."