Vladimir Sergeeevich Ivashov was born in Moscow on August, 28th 1939. In 1963 he graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, where he studied under M.I.Romm. As a student yet he the young soldier in Grigory Chukhrai 's war drama Ballad of a Soldier and thus gained him enormous all-Union popularity. This role determined the actor’s career, making him the actor of one role in the eyes of viewers.

After the Ballad of a Soldier Vladimir Ivashov never played a role tantamount to that of Alyosha in Grigory Chukhrai’s film. However, many remember the white officer, who he played in the soviet blockbuster New Adventures of the Elusives. A White Guard and an enemy of the Soviet Russia, he appears there “with a human face”. The character performs the nostalgic song Russian field, thus displaying the actor’s uncommon vocal capabilities.

Throughout all his life his wife was the popular Soviet actress Svetlana Svetlichnaya, who gave birth to their two sons — Alexey and Oleg (the latter died young and was buried next to his father).

In the early 1990s lots of Soviet actors could not adapt to conditions of new post-Perestroika life. Vladimir Ivashov was not an exception either. There was no work in the Theatre of Film Actor, and, accordingly, there was no money to live on. There were practically no offers to act in films. To support his family, Vladimir got employed as a worker at one of Moscow building sites. When he was getting to work in the underground, wearing his builder’s uniform, lots of passengers recognized him.

Shortly before the actor’s death his more successful colleagues recalled Vladimir Ivashov and invited him to the awarding ceremony of the high Russian film prize Nika. Wearing a state tuxedo, he came to the Cinema House and with dignity handed prizes to winners, but next morning he had to go to the building site again to load slates and slag blocks.

Vladimir Ivashov died, aged 55, in a Moscow hospital after a stomach ulcer aggravation on the night of March, 23rd, 1995. The actor was buried at the Vagankovsky Cemetery in Moscow.

On February, 16th, 2005 minor planet 12978 discovered in the Crimean astrophysical observatory was named after Vladimir Ivashov.