Born to actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal, Karan Kapoor is a member of cinematic Kapoor family. He started his career as a model in advertisement campaigns. Soon, he made his acting debut in Bollywood with the 1978 film Junoon, which was produced by Shashi Kapoor. He has also acted in movies like 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Sultanat (1986), Loha (1987) and Afsar (1988). He did the still photography for the 1984 films The Bostonians and Utsav. He was married to English model Lorna Tarling, with whom he has a daughter, Aliya Kapoor and Zak Kapoor, but the two are now separated.