(1951-01-24) 24 January 1951 (age 73) Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Medium
Stand-up
television
art
books
Nationality
American
Years active
1983–present
Genres
Relationship humor
irony
word play
transpositional pun
Subject(s)
Psychology
Russian-American culture
race relations
relationships
immigration
Communism Soviet Union
Spouse
Linda Dreeszen
(m. 1989; div. 2001)
Olivia Kosarieva
(m. 2019)
Children
2
Notable works and roles
Yakov on Night Court
Nikolai on What a Country!
Shatov in The Money Pit
Website
yakov.com
Yakov Naumovich Pokhis (Russian: Яков Наумович Похис; born 24 January 1951),[1] better known as Yakov Smirnoff (Russian: Яков Смирнов; /ˈsmɪərnɒf/), is an American comedian, actor and writer. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in the Soviet Union, 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 which include Moscow on the Hudson with Robin Williams, The Money Pit with Tom Hanks, Heartburn with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, and Brewster's Millions with Richard Pryor. He was a star of the television series What a Country! and was a recurring guest star on NBC's hit television series Night Court playing a part of Yakov Korolenko. 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 Communist states 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 Fall of Communism starting in 1989 and the dissolution 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. As of 2024[update],[2] 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.
^Rose, Mike (24 January 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 24, 2023 includes celebrities Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
Yakov Naumovich Pokhis (Russian: Яков Наумович Похис; born 24 January 1951), better known as YakovSmirnoff (Russian: Яков Смирнов; /ˈsmɪərnɒf/), is an...
explorer Yakov Shakhovskoy, Russian statesman Yakov G. Sinai YakovSmirnoff, Ukrainian-born American comedian, painter and teacher Yakov Springer Yakov Sverdlov...
Vladimir Korolenko, a Ukrainian/Russian writer Yakov Korolenko, a character played by YakovSmirnoff in the TV show Night Court All pages with titles...
Letterman were among those on the picket line while Garry Shandling and YakovSmirnoff crossed the line. The job action was not legally a strike as the comedians...
Kramarov as Boris Oleg Rudnik as Yuri Elya Baskin as Anatoly Cherkasov YakovSmirnoff as Lev According to director Mazursky, the idea for the film came from...
The joke form is often associated with the Soviet emigrant comedian YakovSmirnoff, who used it, for example, in a 1985 Miller Lite commercial: "In America...
O'Donnell as Bob and June Wheeler Leslie Bevis, as Sheila YakovSmirnoff, as Russian immigrant Yakov Korolenko Eugene Roche, as Jack Sullivan Daniel Frishman...
Schnittman Billy Lombardo as Benny Joe Ponazecki as Montgomery Shrapp YakovSmirnoff as Shatov Carmine Caridi as Brad Shirk Brian Backer as Ethan Mia Dillon...
moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a stand-up comic and wrote for YakovSmirnoff. Scully went on to write for several television sitcoms before 1993...
can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, Party always finds you!" —YakovSmirnoff "The great object of [Hamlet's] life is defeated by continually resolving...
branding is a clear parody of an existing, well-known card and slogan. A YakovSmirnoff book cover depicting a Russian version of American Express with slogan...
himself. He wrote material for In Living Color and for comedians such as YakovSmirnoff and Jimmie Walker. In 2000 Schimmel had developed and completed a TV...
it was too sad, so they removed them. Scully used to write jokes for YakovSmirnoff, so he called him up to get the signs in Russian. Dan Castellaneta had...
Dangerfield and featuring Anderson, Sam Kinison, Bob Saget, Rita Rudner, YakovSmirnoff 1986–1988 The New Hollywood Squares Himself 13 episodes 1986 Remington...
Derricks, Alejandro Rey, Savely Kramarov, Oleg Rudnik, Elya Baskin, YakovSmirnoff The Stone Boy 20th Century Fox Christopher Cain (director); Gina Berriault...
Special, on which also appeared Bob Saget, Rita Rudner, Louie Anderson, YakovSmirnoff, and the breakout first appearance of Sam Kinison. Although he was received...
Odesa. The most popular Russian show business people from Odesa are YakovSmirnoff (comedian), Mikhail Zhvanetsky (legendary humorist writer, who began...
Global Information