Shkumin Istrefi was born on 12 Febrary 1969, in Prishtina. His family originates from Veleshta of Struga, in Macedonia. He completed his acting studies at the Faculty of Arts in Prishtina, the class of the actor Enver Petrovci and graduated in 1994. He played in many performances of the theatre Dodona and National Theatre of Prishtina. On 15th of July 2011, as an actor, he was given a post at the Steering Council of the National Theatre of Prishtina. He also works as a Professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Prishtina. He lives and works in Prishtina.