[1] He was an Honored Art Worker of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic [ru].
He was the son of the political officer of the Red Army Konstantin Vasilyevich Orlov and Asya Grigorievna Itsikson.
His mother moved to Kustanay to spend time with her brother, who was Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Stalin's Way [ru].
From 1958 to 1969, he worked for the newspaper Trud before serving as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the film magazine Iskusstvo Kino.
[6] Dal's wife was Elena Izergina-Orlova, a fashion model and theater critic.