Aleksandr Ivanovsky was born on November 28, 1881 in Kazan. In 1906 he completed his studies at the law faculty of Kazan University. From 1904 to 1907, he was director at the Zimin Opera in Moscow. In 1918 he was assistant director to Protazanov. From 1923 he worked as a director at Lenfilm. He wrote a book, Memories of a Director.
He has been Honored Artist of the Russian Republic since 1936 and received the Stalin Prize in 1941.