Rasim Ahmad oghlu Balayev was born on 8 August 1948 in the Aghsu district. In 1965 he finished secondary school in Aghsu. In 1969 he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts. Rasim Balayev first appeared on screen in a small role at the Baku Film Studio in the work "The Stars Never Go Out". He won the audience's affection for his roles in the films "Nasimi", "Babek" and "The Book of Dede Gorgud". He also worked at the film-actor theatre studio operating under the Azerbaijanfilm studio. Besides large and demanding roles, Rasim Balayev also played smaller parts. He played episodic roles in films such as "This Sweet Word, Freedom", "Your First Hour", "The Scene of Happiness", "I Will Still Return" and "Midnight the Day After Tomorrow". He appeared in films at "Uzbekfilm", "Mosfilm" and other studios. From 1990 until 18 January 2013 he served as secretary of the Azerbaijan Union of Cinematographers. On 31 May 2022 he was elected chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Cinematographers.
