Argenis Pirela was born in the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. His father is Argenis Barreto Sr. and his mother, Angela Pirela-Barreto. He started acting when he was 16 years old with a group of puppeteers called "Garabatos". Argenis was trained at the local school of theater "Ines Laredo". He wrote poetry and short stories in high school.