Yakov Smirnoff
Yakov Naumovich Pokhis (Russian: Яков Наумович Похис; born 24 January 1951), better known as Yakov Smirnoff (Russian: Яков Смирнов; /ˈsmɪərnɒf/), is a Ukrainian-American comedian, actor and writer of Jewish origin. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Ukraine, then immigrated to the United States in 1977 in order to pursue an American show business career, not yet knowing any English. He reached his biggest success in the mid-to-late 1980s, appearing in several films and the television sitcom vehicle What a Country!. His comic persona was of a naive immigrant from the Soviet Union who was perpetually confused and delighted by life in the United States. His humor combined a mockery of life under communism and of consumerism in the United States, as well as word play caused by misunderstanding of American phrases and culture, all punctuated by the catchphrase, "And I thought, 'What a country!'" The collapse of communism starting in 1989, and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, brought an end to Smirnoff's widespread popularity, although he continued to perform. In 1993, he began performing year round at his own theater in Branson, Missouri, where he remained until 2015. He occasionally still performs limited dates at his theater in Branson while touring worldwide. Smirnoff earned a master's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 and a doctorate in psychology and global leadership from Pepperdine University in 2019. He has also taught a course titled "The Business of Laughter" at Missouri State University and at Drury University.
Known For
Credits
- 2021 · Toon In with Me as Self
- 2013 · @midnight with Chris Hardwick as Self
- 2013 · Awful Nice as Himself
- 2012 · Yakov: Live From Branson! as Himself
- 2012 · Gotham Comedy Live as Self - Host
- 2004 · Yakov Smirnoff: As Long As We Both Shall Laugh as himself
- 2004 · Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks as Self
- 1997 · King of the Hill as Yakov Smirnoff (voice)
- 1994 · Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country! as Self
- 1994 · Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat as
- 1994 · Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way! as Himself
- 1991 · Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho as Self
- 1989 · Major Dad as
- 1986 · What a Country! as Nikolai Rostapovich
- 1986 · Heartburn as Contractor Laszlo
- 1986 · The Money Pit as Shatov
- 1985 · Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special as himself
- 1985 · Brewster's Millions as Vladimir
- 1984 · The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension as National Security Advisor
- 1984 · Moscow on the Hudson as Lev
- 1984 · Night Court as Yakov Korolenko
- 1983 · Scarecrow and Mrs. King as
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self