Vladimir Steklov was born on January 3, 1948 in the city of Karaganda. In 1949 the family moved to Astrakhan. From the ninth grade, Vladimir Steklov studied in a theater studio. In 1966 he graduated from Secondary School No. 66 in the city of Astrakhan. After graduating in 1970 from the Astrakhan Theater School with a degree in 'dramatic theater and film actor', he served in the Soviet Army (in the musical platoon of the Chkalov State Red Banner Scientific Research Institute of the Air Force in Akhtubinsk). From 1972 he worked at the Ostrovsky Drama Theater in the city of Kineshma. From 1977 to 1982 he worked as an actor at the Kamchatka Drama Theater in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

From 1981 to 1989, Vladimir Steklov was an actor at the Stanislavsky Moscow Drama Theater. Vladimir Steklov began acting in films in 1983. From 1989 he performed at the Lenin Komsomol Theater. Since 1996 he has worked as an actor at the 'School of Contemporary Play' theater. In 1999-2000 he underwent training for a flight to the Mir station, but due to insufficient funding for the project (the filming of 'The Brand of Cassandra') he did not fly into space. Since 2000 he has also performed at the theaters 'Mikhail Kozakov's Russian Entreprise', the Mossovet Theater, 'Satyricon', and works as artistic director of the 'Art School' theater.