Born in Kutaisi, Revaz Gabriadze graduated from the Higher Scriptwriters' Courses in Moscow and worked as a correspondent for the newspaper Youth of Georgia. He debuted in the cinema in 1968 as the screenwriter of the feature film An Unusual Exhibition by Eldar Shengelaya, produced by Georgian Film.

From 1968 to 1977 Gabriadze cooperated with Georgian Film and Mosfilm studios as a screenwriter, and wrote over 35 screenplays, including influential films such as Don't Grieve by Georgiy Daneliya (1969, Georgian Film and Mosfilm), Peola by Baadur Tsuladze (1970, Georgian Film), The Eccentrics by Eldar Shengelaia (1974, Georgian Film), Mimino by Georgiy Daneliya (1977, Georgian Film and Mosfilm), and Kin-dza-dza! by Georgiy Daneliya (1986, Mosfilm).

As a director, he made the short films Caucasian Romance (1975), Peak Conquerors (1977), Lemon Cake (1977) and Kojori Forest Dreams (1978).

In 1981 Gabriadze founded The Gabriadze Theatre, a marionette drama theatre located in the old town of Tbilisi.

Revaz Gabriadze has earned many international awards including Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic, and he was a laureate of the Shota Rustaveli State Prize, the USSR State Prize, the State Prize of Georgia, and others. He received the honourary prize, the Golden Dinosaur, at the first edition of the Kutaisi International Short Film Festival.

The documentary animated film Hari Harale Mother (2018), directed by his son, Levan Gabriadze, which he wrote and painted based on his memories of everyday life in post-war Georgia, is currently available on Netflix under the title Rezo.