Dobronravov was born in the city of
Taganrog,
Rostov Oblast,
Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union. Since his childhood, Dobronravov's dream was to become a circus clown, and as a school student he worked at the open-air summer theater in
Gorky Park (Taganrog). After school, since 1978 he made several attempts to enter the
State University of Circus and Variety Arts (better known as Moscow Circus School), but without success. After military service Dobronravov had to return to
Taganrog and worked as metalworker, furniture mounter, electrician, etc. Both sons of Fyodor Dobronravov,
Viktor Dobronravov and
Ivan Dobronravov are Russian actors. In November 2017 Dobronravov was banned from entering
Ukraine for three years for publicly supporting the
2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. He expressed support for the
Russian invasion of Ukraine and performed at a military hospital in Samara in 2022. ==Selected filmography==