[1] He studied acting at Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, graduating in 1961.

From 1961 to 1965 he was a member of the troupe at Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater in Leningrad.

From 1965 to the present he has been a member of the troupe at Komissarzhevskaya Theatre under the leadership of a notable director Ruben Agamirzyan.

There his stage partners were such actors as Galina Korotkevich, Georgi Korolchuk, Stanislav Landgraf, Mikhail Khrabrov, Yelena Safonova, and Petr Shelokhonov.

In 2009, Ivan Krasko co-authored a book of memoirs titled "My Вest Friend Petr Shelokhonov", where he wrote about his best friend Petr Shelokhonov and their partnership on stage, in films, and in life.