Svetlana Ivanova was born in Moscow. She studied at Gymnasium No. 1515 in a class with an economics focus. She did not dream of becoming an actress from childhood, but around the age of 14 she decided on her future profession, studied in a theater studio, and at 16 entered VGIK. In 2006 she graduated from VGIK (I.N.

Yasulovich's workshop). Her first experience of working in cinema was one of the key roles in the series "Farewell Echo". Her debut in feature films came in Fyodor Bondarchuk's film "9th Company". Her first major film work was the lead female role in the film "Franz + Polina" by debut director Mikhail Segal.