Anthony Kiedis was born in Grand Rapids to John Kiedis (a.k.a Blackie Dammet) and Margaret "Peggy" Idema, who divorced in 1968, when he was 5 years old. He lived with his mother in Grand Rapids until he was 11, then in California with his father. He has two half-sisters, Julie and Jenny, and a half-brother, James. Around his twelfth birthday he met current Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist ‘Flea’ and the late former guitarist Hillel Slovak at Fairfax High School.

Kiedis has struggled with drug addiction, including cocaine and heroin. His father introduced him to drugs at the age of 12. he initially became clean after the death of Hillel Slovak, a bandmember, for five years. He relapsed several times until becoming clean again in 2002. He claims his dog, Buster, has helped in his staying clean from drug abuse.

Anthony appear in several films: Point Break, as Tone; the surfer with Keanu Reeves in 1991 and then in The Chase in 1994. He had a stage name of Cole Dammet and starred as the son of Sylvester Stallone in F.I.S.T.

In 2006 he and his band are working on a new album, Stadium Arcadium.

He published a memoire in 2004, named Scar Tissue, which went as high as 17^th on the bestseller list of the New York Times.

Kiedis is 5 foot 9 inches and has 9 tattoos.