Kenneth Davitian was born on June 19, 1953 to an Armenian-American family in Montebello, California. His father, a Soviet soldier during World War II, was captured by Nazi forces. He was placed at a Armenische Legion camp in Stuttgart. After the end of the war, he emigrated to the United States through the efforts of George Mardikian. Davitian worked in his father's waste management company. He graduated from Whittier College.