Yakov Smirnoff — comedian with roots in the USSR
Yakov Smirnoff was born Yakov Naumovich Pokhis on 24 January 1951 in Odessa, then in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union, the son of Naum and Klara Pokhis, a Jewish family. In Odessa he worked as an art teacher and began his career as a stand-up comedian.
In 1977 he emigrated to the United States to pursue a career in American show business, without yet knowing any English, and took the stage name Smirnoff. He worked his way into American comedy clubs and onto network television, with an early role in The Love Boat in 1977, and in the mid-to-late 1980s reached the height of his success. He appeared in films including Moscow on the Hudson (1984), in which he played Lev and helped its star, Robin Williams, with his Russian dialogue, The Money Pit, Heartburn and Brewster's Millions, and was a recurring guest on Night Court; he also starred in his own sitcom, What a Country!.
His comic persona was that of a naive immigrant from the Soviet Union, perpetually confused and delighted by life in the United States. His humour mocked life under communism and American consumerism alike, and played on the misunderstanding of American phrases and culture, punctuated by his catchphrase, 'What a country!'.
The end of communism in Eastern Europe from 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought an end to his widespread popularity, although he continued to perform. In 1993 he began performing year-round at his own theatre, seating 2,000, in Branson, Missouri, where he remained until 2015, combining comedy with Russian dance; he returned for a full 2018–19 season there, and still performs limited dates while touring. In 1997 he voiced himself in an episode of the animated series King of the Hill.
In later life he turned to the study of laughter and relationships. He 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, and he has taught a course called 'The Business of Laughter' at Missouri State University and Drury University.
"Emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1977, speaking no English."
Migration storyTracing the roots — Odessa, Ukrainian SSR (now Odesa, Ukraine)
Born Yakov Naumovich Pokhis in Odessa in 1951 to Naum and Klara Pokhis, he worked there as an art teacher and began as a stand-up comedian before emigrating to the United States in 1977.
Odessa, Ukrainian SSR (now Odesa, Ukraine). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.
A career defined by ambition
"In America, you can always find a party. In Russia, the party always finds you."