Kenan Mammadov was born on October 9, 1946 in Baku. He graduated from high school in 1965. In his childhood, communication with prominent artist Khan Babayev had a positive impact on his future career. In 1971 he studied at the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute. From 1971 to 1976, he educated at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. After graduating from the Cameramanian faculty at Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, he started acting as a creative operator in feature film and documentary at the Azerbaijanfilm studio. Honored Art Worker of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Laureate of the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR.
In 2010 he was elected a member of the European Film Academy.