Krasko was born in an agricultural suburb of
Leningrad. His mother, Anastasia Krasko was of Ukrainian and Polish descent, she suddenly died when Ivan was only a ten-month old baby. When Ivan Krasko was five, his father, Ivan Bakhvalov, died of alcoholism. After losing both of his parents at an early age, he was raised by his grandmother who changed his last name from Bakhvalov to Krasko. As a teenager, he survived the
Siege of Leningrad during
Second World War. In 1953, Ivan Krasko graduated from Leningrad Navy College and served as captain of a patrol boat on the river
Danube for one year. From 1954 to 1956 he studied literature and history at the
Leningrad State University. From 1957 to 1961 he studied acting at
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, graduating in 1961. From 1961 to 1965 he was a member of the troupe at
Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater in Leningrad. From 1965 until his death he was a member of the troupe at
Komissarzhevskaya Theatre where Ivan Krasko played leading and supporting roles under the leadership of a notable
director Ruben Agamirzyan and other directors. Among his stage partners were such actors as Galina Korotkevich, Georgi Korolchuk, Stanislav Landgraf, Mikhail Khrabrov,
Yelena Safonova, and
Petr Shelokhonov. His son,
Andrey Krasko was also a notable Russian actor. In 2009, Ivan Krasko co-authored a book of memoirs titled
My Вest Friend Petr Shelokhonov, in which he wrote about his best friend
Petr Shelokhonov and their partnership on stage, in films, and in life. == Personal life and death ==