People in Tulsa are totally friendly; the crowds are very nice.
I was not only typecast as a Russian, but I was typecast as Yakov Smirnoff. This is understandable, and I was very happy to get the roles, but it would be nice to be in a movie where I could be someone else.
When you like something, you find time to do it.
There’s depth in my comedy.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, people thought I wasn’t funny anymore.
As Americans after 9/11, we’re much more united, together as a nation, and we got stronger, better, and more at peace. By peace, I mean the harmony you can feel in our united determination to fight these terrorists and killers.
I like American women. They do things sexually Russian girls never dream of doing – like showering.
I believe that love and laughter can only happen when one person takes the time to think about what would cause the other person to feel good.
Men and women are immigrants in each other’s worlds.
When the needs of one person are being met by the other, there is laughter.
We have a choice – we can both think and feel, using our heads and our hearts.
Americans think Soviets are so grim. I want them to see that they can smile.
The reason gas prices are so high is because the oil is in Texas and Oklahoma and all the dipsticks are in Washington.
I believe that laughter is a language of God and that we can all live happily ever laughter.
I fed my ego, but not my soul.
My father described this tall lady who stands in the middle of the New York harbor, holding high a torch to welcome people seeking freedom in America. I instantly fell in love.
We have been learning since we were children how to make money, buy things, build things. The whole education system is set up to teach us how to think, not to feel.
Never having alone time is real tough on people.
Falling in love is a chemical reaction. But it wears off in a year. That’s why you need a strong line of communication… which includes laughter.
In Russia we only had two TV channels. Channel One was propaganda. Channel Two consisted of a KGB officer telling you: Turn back at once to Channel One.
To my real estate agent, Chernobyl is a fixer-upper.
Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection.
It’s kind of bittersweet. The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.
I was this non-threatening funny guy who contrasted the image of the Brezhnevs and the Reagans of the world.
