Ken Todd's Throwback Pics Show the SUR Boss in a Different Era
See Lisa Vanderpump's husband in a new light with these vintage photos from his younger years.
Throughout his time on Vanderpump Rules (and in earlier years on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), fans have gotten used to seeing how restauranteur Ken Todd's relationship with wife and business partner, Lisa Vanderpump, has evolved. The duo have owned over 30 restaurants and bars together in their over 40 years of marriage.
But Ken lived a whole different life before marrying Lisa — and that could not be more apparent in photos shared from his life before his first appearances on Bravo.
Read on to learn more about the restauranteur and his life before he and Lisa became part of the Bravo-verse.
Who is Ken Todd?
He is so much more than "Mr. Vanderpump."
Prior to moving into Villa Rosa, opening up Villa Blanca, and corralling their menagerie of dogs, Ken worked a number of jobs while raising his son, Warren, born in 1966.
"He worked many jobs laboring, night jobs, anything to provide for his son, and with the help of his mother, he raised an educated, well-mannered, young man," Lisa wrote in a RHOBH cast blog post published in 2011. "Life was hard at the beginning. But with sheer tenacity and some sort of innovative business sense, he created a life for his family (including his parents) that they otherwise wouldn't have."
In addition to his extensive restaurant portfolio, Ken has also dabbled in other career ventures, including managing and producing the album, Pump Sessions, for Vanderpump Rules' resident DJ James Kennedy.
“Ken is producing the album and he’s managing me now,” James revealed during an appearance on the Vanderpump Rules After Show in 2015.
What he is not is a 58-year-old English soccer player with the same name. “No, he chases puppies, not balls,” Lisa told The Daily Dish in 2016.
Ken Todd's First Marriage
Before he met Lisa, Ken was married to Pamela Todd for just two years when he was 19, and they welcomed a son, Warren, together in 1966.
“We met when Warren was 15 and I was 21,” Lisa explained in a 2013 blogpost. “As [Ken] explained, he was married briefly for two years at 19, to a young wife who wasn’t prepared for the challenging job of being a mother. So he then fought for custody of their only child.”
“Warren is very much his father’s son — ambitious, incredibly family oriented, and someone to be proud of.”
Ken Todd in the '70s
Although Ken is now rarely seen without the love of his life and their adorable animals, this undated snapshot showed him solo from a much earlier time in his life.
Ken Todd Met Lisa Vanderpump in the '80s
Ken and Lisa met in 1982 when they were first introduced to one another through Lisa’s brother. It might have even been love at first sight.
"It was the strangest thing," she said during a 2018 appearance on podcast, Straight up with Stassi. "But he was wrong for me in every sense of the word. He was 16 years older than me. He was a playboy, running around town with trousers 'round his ankles. And I was dating someone else. I just looked at him and there was an instant connection."
Ken Todd Married Lisa Vanderpump
After just six weeks of knowing each other, Lisa and Ken got engaged, and then were married within three months. They have been together ever since. When you know, you know.
Ken Todd on Waterskis
Ken is seen water skiing in this undated photograph from when he was younger. He and Lisa were very much an outdoorsy couple in the younger years
The Secret to Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump's marriage
Since their fate-filled introduction, Lisa and Ken have been together for more than 40 years of marriage, and she has been grateful for every single second of it.
“You know the greatest gift Ken Todd ever gave me?” she asked during that same appearance on Straight Up with Stassi. “He was 16 years older than me and he met me halfway on everything.”
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump Remain Together
“He never put me down, he never belittled me, he would take me to meetings and ask my opinion," Lisa told Stassi of her husband in 2018.
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump's Partnership
Although SUR might be one of their more famous establishments, Lisa and Ken actually own and run six restaurants in total.
There are four existing restaurants: SUR Restaurant and Lounge, TomTom Restaurant and Bar, Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, and Vanderpump à Paris. There are also two more on the way — Pinky’s by Vanderpump and Wolf by Vanderpump — slated to be open by summer 2024.
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump Are Still in Love
The connection between Ken and Lisa is strong and that is apparent in photos of the two of them. But if you can't see it in this photograph, take it from Lisa herself who called Ken "amazing" in a 2018 interview with The Daily Dish.
"He's tough and strong and bullheaded and he's a great businessman and he's got a lot of important qualities that people don't see," she said. "He's such a softie in so many ways. He indulges me. He's just one of the kindest people I know. And he's got so much integrity. I love him."
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump with their Two Kids, Pandora and Max
In addition to his son from a previous marriage, Ken and Lisa have two children together: daughter, Pandora Vanderpump Sabo; and son, Max Vanderpump-Todd.
The foursome here stopped to smile in this adorable and very vintage picture taken on a boardwalk.
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump's Children
Pandora has worked alongside her parents over the years, serving as the right-hand woman for Lisa by helping her open PUMP, Tom Tom, Vanderpump Wine & Spirits, and The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. Lisa has even joked that she could never find someone good enough to employ for all of her projects so she “actually made her” instead.
Here, Lisa, Ken, Pandora, and Max looked so cozy and seasonal in this family pic, taken at a pumpkin patch in a photograph dated 1992.
More on Ken Todd, Lisa Vanderpump, and their Kids
Max is also working in the family business, most recently as the manager of Tom Tom. “It’s down to you,” Lisa told Max during Vanderpump Rules Season 10 Episode 1. “Remember that. Everything’s down to you.”
This photograph captured Ken, Lisa, Pandora, and Max all together while posing in front of a Christmas tree while wearing some sweet looking formalwear.
Ken Todd with Pandora and Max
Just like his parents, Max is also an animal lover and has even volunteered at The Vanderpump Dog Foundation.
Here, and younger Ken smiled for the camera while Pandora and Max waved in the background.
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump Are Proof that Opposites Attract
In spite of having so much in common and being married for so long, Lisa has noted that her and Ken have just slightly different personalities. "We compliment each other," Lisa told the London Evening Standard in 2002. "He's the impulsive one, I'm more conservative. He's always looking for a new venture."
Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump with their Daughter Pandora
Ken and Lisa are the grandparents to three grandchildren.
Ken’s son, Warren, has two children, and Pandora is the mom of one.
Pandora and her husband, Jason Sabo, welcomed their first son, Theodore “Teddy” Sabo in November 2021. Lisa is, as suspected, head over heels for the little boy, calling him her “beautiful, beautiful angel” in March 2023.
Seen in their younger days, Lisa, Ken, and Pandora looked right into the camera and smiled for this family photo.
Originally published Sep 30, 2023.
