He was born in 1958 in Moscow. He graduated from the Moscow Physical-Technical Institute (1982), Department of directing of animated films at the higher courses for scriptwriters and directors (workshop of AY Khrzhanovsky, VM Ugarova, 1988).

At different time, Ivan Leonidovich worked as an artist, a cartoonist, in the newspaper «Vremya MN», «Vremya Novostei», and taught directing animated films at the video center of Riga. He was the artist of the teleproject «restauraniy reiting» (1996-1998, «TV-6 Moscow»), was a director, art director of the  TV programs «Liniya Kino» (1999, ORT), the computer game «Polnaya truba» (2004, «Truba studio» commissioned 1C). He is also the creator of savers for MTV (2004, based on the game «Polnaya truba»), creator of a number of advertising and music videos, logos and brand character (he is the creator of the logo of the Guild of Film Critics and the prize «Belyi Slon» («White Elephant»).

In 1995 he created a home computer graphics and animation studio «Virtual studio IVAN MAXIMOV PRODUCTION». Since 2002 he has been teaching directing animated films at the Institute of Cinematogtaphy, since 2004, has been teaching directing of animated films at the School-Studio «Shar».

He is a member of the jury of Animation Film Festival, a member of the Academy of Cinematography  Arts «Nicka».

Filmography: «From left to right» (1989), «5/4» (1990), «Provincial School» (1992), «Bolero. The film of heightened spirituality» (1992), «H+2» (1993), «Libido of Benjamin» (1994), «Threads» (1996), «Two trams» (1998), «The back ways of  Vyborg» (2000), «This change will protect us both» (2000), «Luba» (2001), «Slow Bistro» (2002), «The wind along the coast» (2003), «The Deluge» (2004), «Tunneling» (2005), «Rain from above down» (2007), «Additional abilities  of Pyatachok» (2008).

Ivan Maximov won the «Nika» award, «Golden Bear» award for the film «Bolero», «Golden Aries» for the film «The wind along the coast».