Kimonas Zografakis was born and raised in the village of Kastelli Pediados in Crete. His parents were Georgios (nicknamed "Xirouhis", Greek: "Ξηρούχης") and Ekaterini (née Katzagiannakis) Zografakis, who had two daughters and six sons. During the Greco-Italian War (1940–41), Kimon Zografakis served on the Albanian front.