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Yakov Smirnoff

Name in Native Language: "Яков Наумович Похис" (Russian/RU)
Comedian / Actor | * 01/24/1951 (73) | Odessa (Ukraine)
Yakov Naumovich Pokhis (Russian: Яков Наумович Похис; born 24 January 1951), better known as Yakov Smirnoff (Russian: Яков Смирнов;), 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 K... ()
Photo of 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.

Most frequent genres for this person: Comedies | Romance / Love | Drama

Known for these Movies & Shows

Awards & Nominations for Yakov Smirnoff

Great Immigrants Award
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Movies with Yakov Smirnoff as Actor(11)

TV Shows/Series with Yakov Smirnoff as Actor(5)

as Yakov Smirnoff (voice)1997 King of the Hill
as Yakov Korolenko1984 Night Court

Movies with Yakov Smirnoff as Crew(2)


Full Name: Yakov Smirnov
Citizenships: Soviet Union (former country), United States of America (USA)
Born: Wednesday, 01/24 1951 (January) in Odessa (Ukraine) (current age: 73 years + 64 days)
Zodiac sign: Aquarius (Chinese zodiac sign: Rabbit)
Languages: English (EN)
Educated at: University of Pennsylvania
Employer: Missouri State University
Other names for Yakov Smirnoff (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"Yakov Naumovich Pokhis"
Yakov Smirnoff frequently works together with these people:
David Herman (89x, Actor)
Phil Hendrie (19x, Actor)
Scott Klace (17x, Actor)
Phil LaMarr (13x, Actor)
Dave Thomas (10x, Actor)
Randal Reeder (8x, Actor)
James Sie (8x, Actor)
Maurice LaMarche (7x, Actor)
Danny Trejo (6x, Actor)
Tara Strong (6x, Actress)
Melba Englander (6x, Actress)
Dennis Burkley (6x, Actor)
WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:561745, Added: 10/13/2018, Last updated: 03/22/2024