Born 10 March 1936 in village No. 2 (Baigabul), Amangeldinsk region of Turgai Oblast

Married with two sons

1958 -- graduates from Kazakhstan's Kirov State University

1958-59 -- economist at Kazakh SSR Finance Ministry

1959-60 -- teacher at Kazakh State University

1960-63-- graduate student at Moscow Financial Institute

1964-67 -- department head in NIEI PiN under Gosplan for Kazakh SSR

1967-73 -- head of Gosplan department for Kazakh SSR

1973-75 -- deputy finance minister for Kazakh SSR

1975 -- finishes National Economic Institute of USSR; his dissertation on "Several problems of theories and practices for perfecting mechanisms of the economy of a developing socialist society" is published in 1977

1975-79 --departmental head, deputy administrator for the affairs of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR

1979-83 -- department head of trade, planning, and financing bodies, as well as of the department of trade and community services for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakh SSR

1983-86 -- deputy chief administrator for Council of Ministers of Kazakh SSR

1986-87 -- head of science and educational affairs in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR

1987-88 - head of economic department of Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazakh SSR

June 1988-September 1989 -- deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of Kazakh SSR

September 1989-May 1990 -- secretary in Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazakh SSR

April 1990-October 1991 -- chairman of Supreme Soviet

1991 -- people's deputy

16 October 1991 -- elected vice president at session of Supreme Soviet; new constitution of 1995 abolishes vice presidential post, but Asanbaev stays on until 22 February 1996, when President Nazarbaev signs decree on former vice presidency and appoints Asanbaev as ambassador to Germany

February 1996-July 2000 -- ambassador to Germany

July 2000-present -- retired