Born in the Smolensk region. He graduated from the Moscow Institute of applied and decorative arts and the Leningrad higher art-industrial school im. Mukhina.
From 1954 to 1966 . Alexander worked as an artist in the all-Union scientific research Institute of toys.
Painting from A. N. Orlov always had his poetic, emotional, rich in associations vision of the world: whether the image of the monastery or the image of a flower. He was a great master of pictorial compositions – landscape, abstract compositions of still lifes. It worked always distinguished the freedom of the creative imagination and color harmony.