After learning Inkijinoff defected from the USSR, Joseph Stalin remarked "Too bad that the man escaped. Now he, probably, is dying to come back but, alas, too late.".
Switched from theatre to film acting full-time after working with Lev Kuleshov.
Studied acting under Russian theatre pioneer Vsevolod Meyerhold. He helped the master develop his theory of Biomechanics, which became a core tenant of the physical theatre movement.
Between 1925 and 1930, he was the director of several Soviet state-run film studios.