Emmanuel Kabongo was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When he was 11, Emmanuel's family immigrated to Canada, seeking further opportunity in Toronto.
Emmanuel is the oldest of six children and, while he and his siblings excelled in athletics, he always had a keen interest in the arts. He attended college in Toronto where he studied arts and theatre and played on the varsity basketball team. Outside of school, Emmanuel began taking workshops for acting in film and television. At the end of the school year, Emmanuel was cast in his first student film, and was also recruited to attend a Canadian university on a basketball scholarship. Because of his tremendous passion for his new craft, Emmanuel turned down the basketball scholarship to pursue an acting career.
Emmanuel studied with Earl Nanhu at EVN Studios. He received the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation scholarship and completed the Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre in 2015. He is fluent in French and English and has over ten years of experience teaching his craft to school age children in summer day camps, before- and after-school programs, and high school drama workshops.