Yakov Smirnoff

Yakov Smirnoff

Born: January 24, 1951
in Odesa, Ukraine
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.

Movies for Yakov Smirnoff...

Title: Toon In with Me
Character: Self
Released: January 4, 2021
Type: TV
MeTV's cartoon curator Bill and Toony the Tuna host a weekday morning showcase of classic theatrical cartoons, featuring popular characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, and Popeye the Sailor.
bee
Awful Nice
Title: Awful Nice
Character: Himself
Released: March 8, 2013
Type: Movie
Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when their father dies and leaves them the lake home. A series of hilarious mishaps and costly misadventures follow as they attempt to restore the house and rebuild their relationship.
bee
Yakov: Live From Branson!
Title: Yakov: Live From Branson!
Character: Himself
Released: December 13, 2012
Type: Movie
Yakov Smirnoff stand up show from his theater in Branson, MO.
bee
Title: Gotham Comedy Live
Character: Self - Host
Released: November 15, 2012
Type: TV
Gotham Comedy Club, a popular comedy venue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, is the setting of an hourlong series that is shot in front of an audience at the club. Each episode features routines by several comics -- a list that has included such names as David Alan Grier, Gilbert Gottfried and Artie Lange -- in what the network says is an unedited and uncensored format. In addition to the big names of the field who take the Gotham stage, the show also features up-and-comers who want to make a name for themselves in the stand-up comedy business.
bee
Yakov Live on Broadway
Title: Yakov Live on Broadway
Character: himself
Released: October 23, 2004
Type: Movie
Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff examines the differences between men and women in this one-man show.
bee
Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks
Title: Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks
Character: Self
Released: July 1, 2004
Type: Movie
Experience some of the funniest moments from Yakov's "Branson Today" talk show. There's always something funny about Yakov, but there's something even funnier about his audience!
bee
Title: King of the Hill
Character: Yakov Smirnoff (voice)
Released: January 12, 1997
Type: TV
Set in Texas, this animated series follows the life of propane salesman Hank Hill, who lives with his overly confident substitute Spanish teacher wife Peggy, wannabe comedian son Bobby, and naive niece Luanne. Hank has conservative views about God, family, and country, but his values and ethics are often challenged by the situations he, his family, and his beer-drinking neighbors/buddies find themselves in.
bee
Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country!
Title: Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country!
Character: Self
Released: September 1, 1994
Type: Movie
Yakov Smirnoff delivers some of his best material in this hilarious stand-up comedy special. Audiences have been enjoying his unique brand of comedy for over 25 years, and you'll see why in this side-splitting special!
bee
Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way!
Title: Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way!
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 1994
Type: Movie
Comedian Yakov Smirnoff performing at the Yakov Theater in Branson, Missouri. Once again, using his skills with irony and word play to show the contrast of life here in the United States, and the former Soviet Union, the place of his birth. A lovely walk through context, meaning, and a slight dig at the English language.
bee
Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho
Title: Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: Movie
Yakov Smirnoff TV special from Moscow, Idaho
bee
Title: Major Dad
Released: September 17, 1989
Type: TV
Major Dad is an American sitcom created by Richard C. Okie and John G. Stephens, developed by Earl Pomerantz, that originally ran from 1989 to 1993 on CBS, starring Gerald McRaney as Major John D. MacGillis and Shanna Reed as his wife Polly. The cast also includes Beverly Archer, Matt Mulhern, Jon Cypher, Marisa Ryan, Nicole Dubuc and Chelsea Hertford.
bee
Title: What a Country!
Character: Nikolai Rostapovich
Released: September 27, 1986
Type: TV
What a Country! is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 27, 1986 to May 23, 1987.
bee
Heartburn
Title: Heartburn
Character: Contractor Laszlo
Released: July 25, 1986
Type: Movie
Rachel is a food writer at a New York magazine who meets Washington columnist Mark at a wedding and ends up falling in love with him despite her reservations about marriage. They buy a house, have a daughter, and Rachel thinks they are living happily ever after until she discovers that Mark is having an affair while she is waddling around with a second pregnancy.
bee
The Money Pit
Title: The Money Pit
Character: Shatov
Released: March 26, 1986
Type: Movie
After being evicted from their Manhattan apartment, a couple buy what looks like the home of their dreams—only to find themselves saddled with a bank-account-draining nightmare. Struggling to keep their relationship together as their rambling mansion falls to pieces around them, the two watch in hilarious horror as everything—including the kitchen sink—disappears into the Money Pit.
bee
Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special
Title: Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special
Character: himself
Released: August 3, 1985
Type: Movie
Some of the best new talent is showcased in these annual comedy specials each year. Every show is hosted by a different accomplished comedian. In 1984, the 9th year, the host was the magnificent Rodney Dangerfield.
bee
Brewster's Millions
Title: Brewster's Millions
Character: Vladimir
Released: May 22, 1985
Type: Movie
Brewster, an aging minor-league baseball player, stands to inherit 300 million dollars if he can successfully spend 30 million dollars in 30 days without anything to show for it, and without telling anyone what he's up to... A task that's a lot harder than it sounds!
bee
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Title: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Character: National Security Advisor
Released: August 15, 1984
Type: Movie
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
bee
Moscow on the Hudson
Title: Moscow on the Hudson
Character: Lev
Released: April 6, 1984
Type: Movie
A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn't have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.
bee
Title: Night Court
Character: Yakov Korolenko
Released: January 4, 1984
Type: TV
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone. It was created by comedy writer Reinhold Weege, who had previously worked on Barney Miller in the 1970s and early 1980s.
bee
Title: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Released: October 3, 1983
Type: TV
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show stars Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance, after encountering one another in a train station.