Nikolay Chindyaykin was an actor, director, and teacher. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (23.12.1985). People's Artist of the Russian Federation (8.04.2013). After graduating in 1968 from the Theater School in Rostov-on-Don, he worked as an actor and director in theaters in Rostov-on-Don and Omsk. After graduating from the directing department of GITIS (class of M.M. Butkevich and A.A. Vasilyev) in 1987, he was an actor, director, and teacher at the Moscow Theater "School of Dramatic Art".

He led the work of the Russian group in the joint project of the "School of Dramatic Art" and the Grotowski Workcenter "Slavic Pilgrims" (1991). He completed a series of trainings under the guidance of E. Grotowski (1991, Pontedera, Italy). Since 1993 he taught at RATI, leading the acting and directing course of Vasilyev's studio. From 2008 he was an actor at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater.