Kent MacKenzie was born in London to an American father, who served as the London Bureau Chief for the Associated Press, and an English mother. He began his education in the British school system, but completed his high school education in Bronxville, New York, after his father's transfer back to the United States.
During his summer vacation at a camp in Maine, MacKenzie formed a close friendship with the camp's craft counselor, an Onondaga Indian, which sparked his fascination with the lives and struggles of American Indians. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he served in the Air Force before pursuing a career in filmmaking in Hollywood, enrolling in the University of Southern California's Cinema Department in 1953.
MacKenzie's senior film project, "Bunker Hill-1956" (1956),a documentary about the residents of a declining Los Angeles neighborhood, received critical acclaim and was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival, winning the Silver Award. He then secured a job with Parthenon Pictures, producing industrial films, and gained experience in various aspects of film production.
In 1958, MacKenzie had the opportunity to create a film he had always wanted to make, focusing on the struggles and lives of American Indians. The result was "The Exiles" (1961),a semi-documentary about young Indians living and working in the rundown areas of downtown Los Angeles. Although the film received positive reviews, it did not receive the distribution it deserved.
MacKenzie continued to work in the film industry, creating a documentary for producer David L. Wolper and a short film for the US Information Agency. His final feature film was "Saturday Morning" (1971). Tragically, MacKenzie passed away in 1980 in Marin County, California.
