Irena Lesnevskaya was born on May 30, 1942 in the village of Urlyutyup, Pavlodar region of the Kazakh SSR. In 1966, he graduated from the television department of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Worked at the Central Television of the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, including in the editorial boards of children's and film programs. Since 1984, he has been the editor of the "Kinopanorama" program.
In 1991, Lesnevskaya became the co-founder of REN-TV, and from 1997 to 2005, the president of the channel.
In October 2005, Lesnevskaya and her son Dmitry sold their stake in the business and left the channel. In the last years of his life, he completely withdrew from public life.
Lesnevskaya was a Knight of the Legion of Honor, an academician of the Russian Academy of Cinematographic Arts "Nika" and the Academy of Russian Television.
