 Lintott was born in Canterbury, New Zealand, on 29 March 1955, the only son of three children to Brian, a school teacher, and Heather Lintott.When Graham was aged four, the family moved to Ruakiwi, a small regional town northwest of Hamilton, where the Lintott children were educated at the local school by their father.The family later relocated to Huinga, Taranaki, before returning to Hamiltion where Lintott attended Hamilton Boys' High School from 1968.