Karagulian was born in Soviet Armenia. He left the Armenian SSR at 18 and served in the Soviet Army. He later immigrated to New York City at 20, where he first met Sean Baker, who attended New York University at the time.In addition to starring in all of Baker’s films, Karagulian is also credited as a producer on Tangerine, explaining “For Tangerine, I helped find Armenian actors, wrote Armenian dialogue, translated, or wrote subtitles for the film.”

He is known primarily for his collaborations with director Sean Baker, with whom he has worked since the early 1990s. In 2024, he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance for his role in Anora. “Anora” was the night’s big winner at the 97th Academy Awards, taking home five awards including Best Picture, Best Actress for Madison, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Directing.