A painter, teacher and actor, Leonas Katinas was born on 6 September 1907 at Ampolis, in the Utena district. He completed his studies at Panevėžys Teacher Training College in 1930, and the next year he enrolled as a second-year student at Kaunas Military School. Between 1933 and 1935, he studied at Kaunas School of Art. He studied painting at Vilnius Art Institute under Antanas Gudaitis from 1945 to 1948.