Ken McLoone was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland to Marion (Callaghan) and Thomas McLoone. He attended St Stephen's secondary school in Port Glasgow and went to the Glasgow School of Art, although he had a passionate interest in biology. After graduating he worked in community arts and with a community publishing company called Inverclyde Press. When he was 26, he moved down to London as he could not find what he called 'a proper job' in Scotland after graduating. He ended up in graphic design where he stayed for many decades until retiring from the profession. His first 'proper job' was as a layout artist for Practical Parenting magazine, he then progressed through the magazine world to be an art director for Nursing Standard magazine. He studied acting at City Lit, London, and has gone on to perform in commercials, music videos, fringe plays, short films, and TV series.