Kanan Mahmudov was born on 17 May 1976 in Nakhchivan. In 1990 he sent a letter to the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts through the magazine 'Kokteyl'. In 1993 he was called up for military service. He studied under well-known figures of Azerbaijani cinema and the arts such as Rasim Balayev, Malik Dadashov and Shafiga Mammadova. He trained as a director. He first took on an acting role under the direction of Rovshan Isakh. His second acting role came under Elkhan Jafarov, his third under Agil M. Guliyev, and his fourth under Eldar Guliyev. He began his career as director and actor in his own right with the series 'The Stain'.
