---
name: "Yakov Smirnoff"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/yakov-smirnoff"
fi1m_id: "yakov-smirnoff"
imdb_id: "nm0807025"
tmdb_id: 159755
wikidata_id: "Q977228"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "24 January 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 54
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T19:55:53.630194+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Yakov Smirnoff

## Identity

Yakov Smirnoff

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/yakov-smirnoff
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** yakov-smirnoff
- **IMDb ID:** nm0807025
- **TMDB ID:** 159755
- **Wikidata ID:** Q977228
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Smirnoff, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q977228, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0807025/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/159755

Actor. Born 24 January 1951 in Odesa, Ukraine.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 24 January 1951, Odesa, Ukraine
- **Also known as:** Yakov Naumovich Pokhis
- **Average Fi1m score:** 54, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Smirnoff, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q977228, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0807025/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/159755

## Biography

Yakov Smirnoff, born Yakov Naumovich Pokhis on 24 January 1951 in Odesa, Ukraine, is a Ukrainian-American actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in the Soviet Union before immigrating to the United States in 1977.

Smirnoff appeared in several films in the 1980s, including *Moscow on the Hudson* (1984) as Lev, *The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension* (1984) as the National Security Advisor, *Brewster's Millions* (1985) as Vladimir, *The Money Pit* (1986) as Shatov, and *Heartburn* (1986) as Contractor Laszlo. He also featured in television series such as *Night Court* (1984) as Yakov Korolenko and *Scarecrow and Mrs. King* (1983).

He performed regularly in Branson, Missouri, from 1993 until 2015 and has continued occasional shows there and elsewhere. Smirnoff later earned a master's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 and a doctorate from Pepperdine University in 2019.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Heartburn* (1986), Fi1m 55, as Contractor Laszlo — [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *The Money Pit* (1986), Fi1m 54, as Shatov — [page](https://film.one/film/the-money-pit.md)

## Complete filmography (14)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Yakov Smirnoff: Jokes from the Folks* (2004), Director, Writer
- *King of the Hill* (1997), series, as Yakov Smirnoff (voice) — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/king-of-the-hill-1997.md)
- *Yakov Smirnoff: Just Off the Boat* (1994), Director, Writer
- *Major Dad* (1989), series, Actor
- *Up Your Alley* (1989), as Russian Man
- *What a Country!* (1986), series, as Nikolai Rostapovich
- *Heartburn* (1986), as Contractor Laszlo — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *The Money Pit* (1986), as Shatov — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-money-pit.md)
- *Brewster's Millions* (1985), as Vladimir
- *The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension* (1984), as National Security Advisor
- *Moscow on the Hudson* (1984), as Lev
- *Night Court* (1984), series, as Yakov Korolenko
- *Scarecrow and Mrs. King* (1983), series, Actor
- *Weekend Warriors*, Actor

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Great Immigrants Award 2011: Great Immigrants Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/yakov-smirnoff