Gunduz Abbasov was born in 1930 in Baku's Dagli quarter, into the family of Shamsaddin Abbasov, director of the Baku film studio. Shamsaddin Abbasov's wife, Malak khanim, was a niece of the great Azerbaijani playwright Jafar Jabbarli. Passionate about art since childhood, Gunduz graduated from the Baku Art School in 1952 and from the journalism department of Azerbaijan State University in 1961. Deeply interested in literature, Gunduz Abbasov published three books between 1950 and 1960: 'My Father's Daughter', 'The Living Bridge' and 'Wings'. Although only briefly, he served as head of the youth department of Azerbaijan Radio, then as an editor at the 'Ushaggancneshr' and 'Azerneshr' publishing houses, and as head of a department at the newspaper 'Adabiyyat va Injasanat' ('Literature and Art'). Gunduz Abbasov became famous in cinema for his roles in the films 'Her Great Heart' and 'The Secret of a Fortress'. He went on to appear in a series of films, each time taking on memorable character roles of a different register. Alongside serious roles, the actor also appeared in many storylines of the 'Mozalan' newsreel. His last film appearance was in 'Dream'. Although he did not live to see the film himself, the character of Uncle Hidayat that he created remains fondly remembered by audiences.
