 Rankin was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983 and spent part of his childhood in the West End of the city before moving to King's Park when he was ten, eventually attending Stonelaw High School.One of four boys born to a father on the police force and a mother in the hotel industry, he originally planned a career in the sciences or Information Technology.Rankin initially attended Glasgow Caledonian University as an IT major, but changed course after a chance encounter at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during a holiday in Los Angeles.