He was born on August 5, 1961, in Almaty. His mother, Gulzhavgar Bayzhanbaeva (died in January 1999), worked for the Socialist Kazakhstan newspaper. His father, journalist Anuarbek Aukenev, passed away in 1961. He is the nephew of Anuarbek Nygmetzhanovich Bayzhanbaev (March 26, 1923, Semipalatinsk — October 21, 1989, Almaty), a renowned announcer of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Kazakh SSR, People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR (1973), Honored Artist of the Kazakh SSR (since 1967), and Honored Radio Operator of the USSR (1958).

During his school years, he was involved in swimming, Greco-Roman wrestling, and speed skating. He graduated with honors from the acting department of the Almaty State Theater and Art Institute in 1982. In the late 80s, he performed in the youth theater in Almaty, where he played numerous roles in various productions. He also worked with the Familiar Faces theater in Almaty. In 2013, he starred in the play America, based on Franz Kafka's novel, directed by Andreas Mertz from the Berlin Volksbühne Theater.