Ari Rufino was born in Amadiya, Iraq. Ethnically, he is a Kurd and speaks fluent Kurdish to this day. In 1975, after a failed Kurdish uprising against the Iraqi Government, Ari and his family fled the war-torn country and lived in Iran for one year as refugees. Not seeing a future there, his parents decided to immigrate to Canada. Ari grew up in Windsor, Ontario and attended high school at the Walkerville Collegiate Institute. The school offered a creative arts program, where he was first exposed to acting. After graduating, Ari continued his education at the University of Windsor. He worked in casinos as a dealer and pit supervisor. He resigned from casinos in 2008, moved to the U.S. and started a career in film and theater.