[1][2] She was born in Gurzuf, Crimea, but moved to Paris as a child with her grandmother and widowed mother, fleeing the Russian Revolution.
Her first ballet teacher was her mother, followed by renowned Russian ballerinas Olga Preobrajenska, Vera Trefilova and Lyubov Yegorova.
In 1949, Serge Lifar made her the Danseur Étoile ("star dancer", equivalent to prima ballerina) of the Paris Opera Ballet, succeeding Yvette Chauviré.
[1][2] She was featured in his productions of Suite en Blanc (1949), La Dame in Dramma Per Musica (1950), Giselle (1950), Blanche-Neige (Snow White, as the Wicked Queen) (1951), Les Noces Fantastiques (1955), Hamlet (1957) and L'Amour et son destin (1957).
Nina Vyroubova was married three times (one of her husbands was Arkadij Kniaseff) and had a son, dancer Yura Kniazeff (born 1951, a soloist with the National Ballet of Canada).