Yakov Smirnoff
Stand-up comedian · Branson, MO

Yakov Smirnoff

Who Yakov Smirnoff is

Yakov Smirnoff is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer born in Odesa, then in the Soviet Union, who worked as a comedian on Black Sea cruise ships before emigrating to the United States in 1977, speaking no English. He became a regular at the Comedy Store, made his debut on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1985, played Yakov Korolenko on Night Court, starred in the sitcom What a Country! and had film roles in Moscow on the Hudson, The Money Pit and Heartburn, his act built around the catchphrase "What a country!". Since 1993 he has performed at his own theatre in Branson, Missouri; he holds a master's degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from Pepperdine University, and in 2016 he produced and starred in the PBS special Happily Ever Laughter.

At a glance

Born
1951
Based in
Branson, MO
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Comedy Store
Stand-up specials
Happily Ever Laughter: The Neuroscience of Romantic Relationships
Podcasts
Yakov's Comedy Couch Podcast and America on Six Rubles a Day
On screen
Night Court, What a Country!, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and 5 more
Next on stage
7 October 2026 — Yakov's Theater, Branson, MO
Official site
yakov.com ↗

On stage

Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

On screen

Podcasts

Where they got their start

Came up the same way

Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Comedy Store:

The Launching Pads: the shows the comedians came through →

Comedians like Yakov Smirnoff

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1951Born
  2. 1984Moscow on the Hudson (Lev, film, 1984) On screen
  3. 1985The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guest, from 1985) On screen
  4. 1985Brewster's Millions (Vladimir, film, 1985) On screen
  5. 1986What a Country! (Nikolai Rostapovich, lead, 1986–1987) On screen
  6. 1986The Money Pit (Shatov, film, 1986) On screen
  7. 1986Heartburn (Contractor Laszlo, film, 1986) On screen
  8. 1987America on Six Rubles a Day (book, 1987) Book
  9. 2016Happily Ever Laughter: The Neuroscience of Romantic Relationships (2016, PBS) Special

Questions about Yakov Smirnoff

Where is Yakov Smirnoff performing next?

Wednesday 7 October 2026, 7:30 PM (Yakov Smirnoff Live in Branson!) at Yakov's Theater, Branson, MO, then 4 more dates on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar. Each show's own listing has the last word.

What stand-up specials have they released?

Happily Ever Laughter: The Neuroscience of Romantic Relationships.

What podcast do they host?

Yakov's Comedy Couch Podcast and America on Six Rubles a Day.

What TV shows and films are they in?

Night Court, What a Country!, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Moscow on the Hudson and Brewster's Millions, among 8 credits.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (guest, from his debut) and The Comedy Store (a regular there before his 1985 Tonight Show debut; a paid regular).

Where are they based?

Branson, MO, as their record gives it.

When were they born?

In 1951.

Who are some comedians like them?

Andy Kaufman (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Byron Allen (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), David Letterman (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Elayne Boosler (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) and Jay Leno (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.

Their SUCDb record →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 29 September 2026