Aleksandr Shalvovich Porokhovshchikov was born on January 31, 1939 in Moscow. His maternal great-grandfather was a nobleman, an industrialist, the founder and the owner of the restaurant Slavic Bazaar, and an active participant of the construction of Christ the Saviour Cathedral. His maternal grandfather was an inventor and an aircraft designer. The actor’s father, surgeon Shalva Barabadze, left the family in 1941. Aleksandr’s mother, Galina Aleksandrоvna Porokhovshchikovа, studied in GITIS Academy (State Institute of Theatrical Art). Aleksandr’s stepfather, Mikhail Dudin, was a military architect.

In 1946 Aleksandr with his mother and stepfather moved to Magnitogorsk, and in 1953 the family left for Chelyabinsk, where Porokhovshchikov graduated from school in 1957. In 1957-1960 he studied at the Chelyabinsk Medical Institute, but interrupted his studies because the family moved to Moscow. At an early age Porokhovshchikov was already seriously engaged in boxing.

In 1960-1966 he worked as a furniture and property man in Vakhtangov Theatre. He graduated the Actor's Faculty at the Russian Theatrical Society in 1961, and later Schukin Theatrical School. The actor worked on stage of the Moscow Academic Theater of Satire, Taganka Theater (1966-1981), and Pushkin Moscow Theater.

He made his film debut in 1966-1967 with the role of a sculptor in the film “Search”. Throughout his actor's career Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov played in a great number of films.

At the end of 2011 Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov played one of the leads in the series Girls’ Hunting. It was his last role.