Graduated from the B.V. Shchukin Theatre School. In 1970 he became a director at the Sovremennik Moscow Theatre. In 1985 he headed the M.N. Ermolova Moscow Theatre and became the youngest theatre director of this country.
From 1988 he is a Chairman of the Committee for Creative Heritage of V. Meyerhold and one of the founders of the V. Meyerhold Center in Moscow. From the date of foundation in 1991 to September 2011 he was a director and artistic manager; from September 2011 he has been a President of the V. Meyerhold Center.
Since 2003 he has been the Artistic Director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
From 2006 he has been a member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art. From 2012 he has been a Chairman of the Russian Guild of Theatre Directors.
Today in the creative biography of V.V. Fokin there are more than 90 performances that have become events on the domestic and world stage. His performances are staged in Russia, the USA, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and France.
He represents Russia in the International Committee for the Theatre Olympiad.
