Laczkovich graduated in mathematics from Eötvös Loránd University in 1971, where he has taught ever since. He was also a professor at University College London, where he is currently professor emeritus. He became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1993) and then a member (1998). He has been visiting professor in Great Britain, Canada, Italy and the United States. He is also a prolific author, having published more than 100 papers and two books, one of which, Conjecture and Proof, has been an international success. He is best known for his solution of Tarski's square root problem.