Yakov Smirnoff

Acting

Yakov Smirnoff

Born

1951-01-24 (75)

Place of birth

Odesa, Ukraine

Known for

Acting

Credits

31 titles

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 o…

Known for

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster
5.8

After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014

King of the Hill poster
7.4

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.

King of the Hill

1997

@midnight with Chris Hardwick poster
5.3

Chris Hardwick will lead three celebrity contestants down the ultimate internet wormhole. Culling from the darkest recesses of social media, they will compete to determine who has the funniest take on the day's pop culture.

@midnight with Chris Hardwick

2013

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Scarecrow and Mrs. King poster
6.7

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.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

1983

Film credits

1990s · 4 titles

1980s · 8 titles

The Money Pit poster
6.5

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.

The Money Pit

1986

Heartburn poster
6.0

She's a magazine writer who gives up her career for love and family. He's a playboy newspaper columnist who can't quite give up his old tricks. And if that combination doesn't give a relationship heartburn, nothing will.

Heartburn

1986

Brewster's Millions poster
6.6

Monty Brewster, an aging minor-league baseball player, stands to inherit $300 million if he can successfully spend $30 million 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!

Brewster's Millions

1985

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension poster
6.0

Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

1984

Moscow on the Hudson poster
6.3

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.

Moscow on the Hudson

1984

George Burns: His Wit and Wisdom poster
NR

George Burns shows viewers an average day in his life, teaches them his exercise regime, meets with his famous friends and reminisces about his past- providing laughs all the way.

George Burns: His Wit and Wisdom

1989

Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special poster
8.0

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.

Rodney Dangerfield Hosts the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special

1985

Up Your Alley poster
6.0

Vickie Adderly is an enterprising young newspaper reporter looking for that big story to boost her career. A chance encounter with an adventurous drifter leads her into a world she never imagined... on the streets of L.A. Suddenly, her days are filled with a cast of colorful characters, including Marilyn, an eccentric femme fatale, and a bewildered Russian. Add the attentions of a handsome admirer and it's easy to see how Vickie gets her story and a whole lot more in this charming romantic fable.

Up Your Alley

1989

Series credits

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster
5.8

After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014

King of the Hill poster
7.4

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.

King of the Hill

1997

@midnight with Chris Hardwick poster
5.3

Chris Hardwick will lead three celebrity contestants down the ultimate internet wormhole. Culling from the darkest recesses of social media, they will compete to determine who has the funniest take on the day's pop culture.

@midnight with Chris Hardwick

2013

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Scarecrow and Mrs. King poster
6.7

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.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

1983

Gotham Comedy Live poster
5.5

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.

Gotham Comedy Live

2012

Major Dad poster
6.5

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.

Major Dad

1989

Toon In with Me poster
8.2

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, Popeye the Sailor, and Woody Woodpecker.

Toon In with Me

2021

What a Country! poster
7.5

What a Country! is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 27, 1986 to May 23, 1987.

What a Country!

1986

Behind the camera