Dennis Ortwein was raised in a small town in Montana called Harlowton, the second oldest of seven children. He arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956. Once in Las Vegas, Ortwein taught for a while, served as principal, and was involved in creating programs that helped integrate schools. He was also involved with his church choir, the entertainment industry in early Las Vegas, above-ground testing at the Nevada Test Site, and anti-nuclear protests.