He is the son of the composer Isaak Dunayevsky and the ballerina of the Alexandrov Ensemble and the Moscow Operetta Theater Zoya Ivanovna Pashkova (1922-1994), born out of wedlock.

Maksim Dunayevsky organized his own pop ensemble, which also played rock, called "Festival" (1977-1990), he collaborated as a songwriter with such poets as Leonid Derbenyov, Naum Olev, Yuri Ryashentsev, Ilya Reznik, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Yuri Entin, and Nikolai Denisov.

[4] In 1994, especially for Nikolai Karachentsov, he wrote 10 songs based on poems by Ilya Reznik, which were later included in the actor's solo album "My Little Lady", recorded by him in Los Angeles.

Daughter Alina (born 1983) from Nina Spada - philologist, translator from foreign languages and writer (in June 2018 she published a book of autobiographical content "Wide open with my soul.

Author-composer-performer of her songs in the style of pop-rock, has recorded and released several music albums, video clips and singles.

He is the President of the Isaac Dunayevsky Charitable Cultural Foundation, Deputy Chairman of the Guild of Professional Composers, Academician of the Russian National Film Academy, a member of the expert council of the first television channel on selection for the Eurovision Song Contest and the annual music program New Songs about the Main.