Ivan Vasilyevich belonged to the noble family of Gudovich. His father, Vasily Andreyevich Gudovich, held the position of the Little Russian General Podskarbi, and after the liquidation of the Hetmanate, became a secret advisor.

Ivan Gudovich received his education at the universities of Königsberg and Leipzig. He began his service in 1759 as a second lieutenant in the Engineering Corps, later becoming the aide-de-camp to the head of the Armory Office, P. I. Shuvalov.

During the brief reign of Emperor Peter III, Ivan made a swift career thanks to the support of his brother Andrei Vasilyevich Gudovich, who was a close officer of the emperor. In 1761, Ivan became a general aide-de-camp to the emperor's uncle, General Field Marshal Prince Georg of Schleswig-Holstein. After Catherine II came to power in 1762, he was arrested but was released three weeks later and soon promoted.

From 1763, Ivan commanded the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment, with which he went to Poland to support the election of Stanisław Poniatowski as king. He first participated in combat during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774, distinguishing himself in battles near Khotyn, Larga, and Kagul. In 1770, he commanded a detachment in Wallachia, defeated the forces of the serasker, and occupied Bucharest. He then led assaults on Giurgiu and defeated the Turks at Odaluh. In 1772, Ivan fell ill and left the army, but returned in 1774 to participate in the concluding battles of the war on the Danube.

After the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774, Ivan became the commander of a division in the area of Ochakov and on the Southern Bug River, and later in Kherson. In 1776, he married the youngest daughter of the last Little Russian Hetman, Kirill Razumovsky.

In 1785 and 1796, Ivan served as the governor-general of the Ryazan and Tambov provinces, while also being the army inspector for infantry and cavalry. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792, he requested to be sent to the active army and was appointed commander of a separate corps. He captured the fortifications of Khadjibey and the fortress of Kilia, and then commanded the Kuban Corps and the head of the Caucasian Line, taking Anapa.

Under Gudovich, the territories of the Tarkovsky Shamhals and the Derbent Khanate were annexed to Russia. Under his leadership, the fortresses of Ust-Labinskaya, Kavkazskaya, and Shelkovodskaya were built. He participated in suppressing the Esaul uprising on the Don.

In 1796, after Count V. A. Zubov was appointed commander of the troops for the campaign in Persia, Ivan resigned, feeling overlooked. Instead, he was granted a two-year leave and awarded 1800 serfs in the Podolsk province. Under Paul I, he was appointed to Zubov's position and was elevated to the rank of count.

From 1798, Ivan became the military governor first of Kiev, then of Podolia. In 1799, he was the commander-in-chief of the army for operations on the Rhine, but in 1800, he was dismissed for criticizing military reform.

In 1806, he was returned to service and appointed commander-in-chief of the troops in Georgia and Dagestan, where he took measures to combat the plague. In the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812, he achieved victory over Turkish forces in the battle near the fortress of Gumry, for which he was promoted to general field marshal. After an unsuccessful assault on Erivan, he withdrew his troops to Georgia, but illness forced him to leave the Caucasus.

From 1809, Ivan was the commander-in-chief in Moscow, and from 1810, a member of the State Council and a senator. He was characterized by firmness, which in old age turned into obstinacy. He was known as an opponent of glasses and a three-horse team, forcing people to remove their glasses and unyoke one horse at the checkpoint.

The administration of Moscow was not going well, and Ivan fully trusted his brother Mikhail, who was a self-serving man. As a result, everything was corrupt and on lease. In 1812, a month before the French invasion, Ivan was dismissed due to health reasons. He spent his last years in his estate, engaging in music and hunting.

Ivan Vasilyevich owned large estates, where about 13,000 peasants lived. He died in 1820 and bequeathed to be buried in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, but his remains were transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. After the cathedral was blown up in 1941, the grave was lost.