He was born on 30 March 1939 in Baku. In 1962 he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Art School. From 1966 to 1972 he studied at the art faculty of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. Since 1972 he has worked at the "Azerbaijanfilm" film studio. He has been the production designer of many feature films and theatre productions, and the artist and director of several animated films. R. Ismayilov has also worked as a design artist for a number of books. He passed away on 30 April 2025.
