Baganov came to acting via a somewhat circuitous route. Born in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia), he attended Leningrad State University, where he studied astronomy for 4 years. After that - it must have been in his stars - he entered the State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography, and four years later graduated with a degree in acting. After that, Baganov was hired by the State Theater Lencom in Leningrad and later worked in yet another state theater, the Kommisarzevskiy. A few years later, he left the theater in order to do films and television work in various cities of the USSR, including Moscow, Odessa, Sverdlovsk, Kiev, Leningrad/St. Petersburg, and so on. Baganov went to the United States in 1991, and has lived and worked there ever since.