Branson, Missouri, the Live Entertainment Capital of the Midwest, has a long line of well-known performers to have graced the stages around town. One of these is the beloved Russian comedian, Yakov Smirnoff. Yakov has been a symbol of laughs and patriotism in Branson for years. But he isn’t only famous in Branson!
Yakov Smirnoff immigrated to the United States from the USSR in 1977 and was granted U.S. citizenship in 1986. Prior to his coming to America, he worked as an art teacher in Odessa, Ukraine, and also did some part time comedy gigs. Many of his comedic performances while he was in Russia were on ships in the Black Sea; during his time on the ships, Yakov would visit with American sailors who would tell him about life in the United States, sparking an interest that eventually led to Yakov’s immigration. Upon Yakov’s arrival in America with his parents, no one in his family spoke any English. But Yakov was a quick learner and soon got a job as a busboy and bartender in the Catskill Mountains.
During the 1980s, Yakov rose to fame in the comedy world for his stand-up comedic performances in which he used word play and irony to contrast life in the United States with life in his native Soviet Union – his heavy Russian accent made his acts all the more hilarious. His ‘America – What a Country!’ jokes about seeing the U.S. as a first time immigrant became extremely popular. Yakov eventually purchased his own theater in Branson, Missouri, in 1992 and he has been here ever since, much to the delight of the Branson/Tri-Lakes community.
Putting on comedy shows, surprisingly enough, is not the only career that Yakov has had; he was also a television personality, an actor, a freelance writer, a Broadway show creator (called ‘As Long As We Both Shall Laugh’), and in May of 2006, Yakov received a Master’s degree in Positive Psychology and he teaches classes on that subject at both Drury University and Missouri State University.
Many people are unaware that Yakov is also an accomplished artist with a passionate style. He was deeply saddened by the bombing of the World Trade Center, and drew on his early career as a artist when he painted a 9/11 mural as a memorial to the victims after the terrible tragedy – the memorial was temporarily on display at Ground Zero until weather damages dictated its removal. Pieces of the mural can be seen today at Yakov’s Branson Theater.
