He started out as an actor before moving into directing. Some of his productions were banned by Soviet authorities for being politically provocative.
He moved to then-Soviet Georgia, and later to Leningrad. He took the helm of the Leningrad Comedy Theatre, where he lost his job in 1981 after falling out with authorities.
At the time of his death, he was working on a new production of Alexander Pushkin's play "Boris Godunov".