Gulshad Bakhshiyeva was born in 1952 in the city of Baku. Between 1971 and 1975 she studied at the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts named after M. A. Aliyev (now ASUCA), under the supervision of professor and People's Artist of the USSR Mehdi Mammadov, after which she joined the S. Rahman Sheki State Drama Theatre. She was one of the founders of the Sheki theatre. She played leading roles as a principal actress in the productions in the theatre's repertoire from 1975 to 1985. At that time she took part in the drama festivals of the GDR, Hungary and Bulgaria held in the USSR. In 1981, at the Hungarian festival, she was awarded the diploma for "Pələng və kaftar" for her portrayal of Predslava in Sh. Petőfi's play "Qadın rolunun ən yaxşı ifaçısı." In 1982 she was awarded the honorary title of "Əməkdar artist" for her services in the founding and development of the theatre. During the ten years she was active from the theatre's opening, she played 28 roles of varying character in various productions. In 2006 she was awarded the "Golden Lamp" prize of the National Cinematographers' Union in the "Best Female Role" category for her role as Nisa in Ramiz Azizbayli's film "Yalan." Alongside her theatre and film career, she has for 23 years also been engaged in training actors at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, devoting great attention and care to the development of dozens of talents. Among her students are some who have themselves been awarded the honorary titles of People's and Honoured Artist. Gulshad Bakhshiyeva married the great artist Huseynagha Atakishiyev, who at the time was chief director of the Sheki theatre. They have two sons, Elbay (b. 1978) and Elmir (b. 1980). Unfortunately, their marriage did not last, and they later separated. At ASUCA she has taught in the "Səhnə danışığı" department since 1985, in "Rejissor və aktyor sənəti" since 1994, and currently in the "Dram teatrı və kino aktyoru" department. She has held the position of associate professor since 2000 and professor since 2006. On 13 December 2023, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, she was awarded a personal scholarship of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
