Yuri Alexandrovich Kuznetsov was born in the city of Abakan, Krasnoyarsk Krai. He graduated from the acting department of the Far Eastern Pedagogical Institute of Arts (1969, Vladivostok). From 1969 to 1979 he was an actor at the Khabarovsk Drama Theatre, and from 1979 to 1986 at the Omsk Drama Theatre. Since 1986 he has been an actor at the Leningrad Comedy Theatre. Honored Artist of Russia (2006). People's Artist of the Russian Federation (30.03.2026).