Lanovoy came to prominence through playing bold, dashing characters, combining heroic bravado with a sensitivity typical of Russian heroes, a tendency evident in many of his early features, however, he is best known for his roles in iconic 1970s World War II-themed films. In 2000s, Lanovoy appeared primarily in the roles of Soviet-era party bosses, such as Yuri Andropov in the 2005 TV film Brezhnev. In 2013, he played the role of Cardinal Richelieu in Russian movie The Three Musketeers.