Yakov Smirnoff arrived in this county from the Soviet Union in 1977 with less that $100. in his pocket. He has grown to become a respected comedic voice, cultural observer, family man, and command performer at the White House for three presidents.

Yakov’s mission statement is, “To experience happiness and teach it with passion through comedy and sensitivity.” He says, “I don’t do comedy just for the sake of comedy. Comedy opens your heart and while it’s open why not put in something that is valuable? So I teach very basic principles about love, kindness, and enjoying life. We get so busy looking at all our challenges that we lose sight of the blessings that are all around us.”

One of Yakov’s many accomplishments is as a fine artist. His amazing painting, America’s Heart, loomed triumphantly over Ground Zero in New York for more than a year. In talking about its creation he recalls being profoundly moved by the events of 9-11. He realized that, “Although buildings can be decimated, what cannot be destroyed is the American spirit. That spirit is not measured by the size of an act but by the size of a heart.” That idea is symbolized in the painting of a United States of America flag in the shape of a heart.

He says, “I try to check everything I do with the universal mind. When I’m in tune with the one entity to which we are all connected, life is like going downstream. Everything flows naturally. I’m connected with everything around me and there’s lots of laughter. When I’m going against it I experience a lot of difficulties and struggle. So, I try to stay aware of when I’m going upstream or downstream.”

In his interview, Yakov reveals the answer to the profound philosophical question, “Which comes first, does laughter create love or does love create laughter? For the answer, “Stay tuned.”

In 1993, Yakov opened his own theatre in Branson, Missouri, where he has entertained more than three million people. The theatre is operated personally by Yakov and his staff. The entire show and venue reflects this inspirational comedian’s unique insights into life, family, and the United States and internationally.

Yakov continues to develop his comedy to reflect the dynamics among men and women, the happiness that can be found inside oneself, and a celebration of the spirit of life. The depths of Yakov’s development from naïve young immigrant to gentle, loving patriot can be found throughout his show and his Living Happily Ever Laughter seminars. When Branson’s Two-Time Comedian of the Year isn’t performing sold-out shows at his own theater in the heartland of America, Yakov likes to travel and appears at select venues across the United States.

As part of his ongoing quest for knowledge and understanding about relationships, Yakov completed his master’s degree in positive psychology from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May 2006 with the first class of the new positive psychology program directed by Dr. Martin Seligman. He teaches as a professor at Missouri State University

In addition to the comedian’s four videos and CDs (“Just Off the Boat,” “What a Country,” “Jokes from the Folks,” and “I Bet You Never Looked at It That Way”), Yakov has authored two books: America on Six Rubles a Day (1987) and Smirnoff for the Soul (2005). More about Yakov’s work can be found at, www.Yakov.com