Gurban Masimov was born on 26 January 1971. From 1988 to 1993 he studied in the directing faculty of the A. Huseynzade State University of Culture and Arts, and from 1995 to 2001 in the vocal department of the Baku Music Academy. In 1998 he completed Robert Sturua''s international masterclass in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. In 2000 he took part in the "Feldenkrais Method" seminar as part of the "Summer Academy" programme in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. From 1994 he worked at the "Deli Yighinjaghi" ("Gathering of the Mad") Pantomime Theatre Studio, led by Bakhtiyar Khanizade. In 2000 the theatre received state status and was renamed the State Pantomime Theatre. From 2000 to 2001 he was the host and director of the programme Nam-Nam, broadcast on ABA TV. In 2003 he hosted and directed a similar programme, "Show in the Kitchen — Nam-Nam", on another channel, Lider Television. On Azerbaijan Television he was the host and director of the programme "Gulmasheker", based on the Nam-Nam format. He also has creative experience in clowning; his stage name is Clown Appa. He has been a member of the Cinematographers'' Union of the Republic of Azerbaijan since 2013, and from 2013 to 2024 served as chief director of the Abdulla Shaig State Puppet Theatre. Since 2014 he has been a member of UNIMA, the International Union of Puppetry Theatres. Since 2018 he has taught at the Department of Musical Theatre Acting of the University of Culture and Arts, becoming senior lecturer in 2022. He is the son-in-law of People''s Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan Boyukkhanim Aliyeva and Honoured Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan Tavakkul Aliyev.
