Culkin was born on December 6, 1944 in Manhattan, New York, the son of Marian Ethel (née Wagner), a writer and editor, and Philip Harley Culkin, a journalist. He spent his youth in New York City, working on Broadway in theater productions with actors such as Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn.

He is the father of Macaulay Culkin, of Home Alone fame.

Kit Culkin's Family Tree