CineScope
Yakov Smirnoff picture

Yakov Smirnoff

Acting
Known For

74 Years Old

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.

Born

Odesa, Ukraine on 24th January 1951

All Credits

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Image
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
@midnight with Chris Hardwick Image
@midnight with Chris Hardwick
Self
King of the Hill Image
King of the Hill
Yakov Smirnoff (voice)
Major Dad Image
Major Dad
Gotham Comedy Live Image
Gotham Comedy Live
Self - Host
Night Court Image
Night Court
Yakov Korolenko
No Image
Toon In with Me
Self
What a Country! Image
What a Country!
Nikolai Rostapovich
Scarecrow and Mrs. King Image
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Image
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
National Security Advisor
The Money Pit Image
The Money Pit
Shatov
Brewster's Millions Image
Brewster's Millions
Vladimir
Heartburn Image
Heartburn
Contractor Laszlo
Moscow on the Hudson Image
Moscow on the Hudson
Lev
Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special Image
Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special
himself
Awful Nice Image
Awful Nice
Himself
Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way! Image
Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way!
Himself
Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks Image
Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks
Self
Yakov Smirnoff: As Long As We Both Shall Laugh Image
Yakov Smirnoff: As Long As We Both Shall Laugh
himself
Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho Image
Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho
Self
Yakov: Live From Branson! Image
Yakov: Live From Branson!
Himself
Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat Image
Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat
Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country! Image
Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country!
Self