Yakov Smirnoff, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Yakov Smirnoff
Acting

Yakov Smirnoff
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1951-01-24,Odesa, Ukraine
Gender
Male
Biography
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.

Filmography

6.501

The Money Pit
1986-03-26

Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special

8

Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special
1985-08-03

Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country!

0

Yakov Smirnoff: What A Country!
1994-09-01

Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho

0

Yakov Smirnoff From Moscow...Idaho
1991-01-01

Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks

0

Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks
2004-07-01

Brewster's Millions

6.6

Brewster's Millions
1985-05-22

Moscow on the Hudson

6.2

Moscow on the Hudson
1984-04-06

Yakov Smirnoff: As Long As We Both Shall Laugh

0

Yakov Smirnoff: As Long As We Both Shall Laugh
2004-10-23

Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way!

0

Yakov Smirnoff: I Bet You Never Looked At It That Way!
1994-01-01

Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat

0

Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat
1994-03-01

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

5.985

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
1984-08-10

5.2

Awful Nice
2013-03-08

Yakov: Live From Branson!

0

Yakov: Live From Branson!
2012-12-13

6

Heartburn
1986-07-25

Toon In with Me

7.667

Toon In with Me
2021-01-04

King of the Hill

7.3

King of the Hill
1997-01-12

6.6

Major Dad
1989-09-17

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

6.3

Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983-10-03

What a Country!

5

What a Country!
1986-09-27

7.3

Night Court
1984-01-04

Gotham Comedy Live

5.5

Gotham Comedy Live
2012-11-15

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.4

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962-10-01

@midnight with Chris Hardwick

5.1

@midnight with Chris Hardwick
2013-10-21