Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia on April 25, 1977. At the age of seven, Cardona's family gave him "Manolo" as a nickname. This would later be used as his name as an actor. When he was 18, he moved to Cali, Colombia, to finish his studies. Manolo studied finances and international relations. Manolo's mother, Nancy Molano, is a Psychologist, merchant and Astrologer. His father, Javier Enrique Cardona, has devoted his life to politics, and was the mayor of Popayán. Cardona has two brothers. The elder, Francisco, is an agent and Engineer, and the younger, Juan José, studied film direction in the University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. One of his greatest passions is playing football (soccer).