Leonid Yakubovich
Leonid Yakubovich
31.07.1945 (78 years) (Moscow, USSR)
Leonid Arkadyevich Yakubovich PAR (Russian: Леонид Аркадьевич Якубович, born 31 July 1945) is a Russian actor and television host, best known for hosting the game show Pole Chudes (the Russian version of the Wheel of Fortune – literally, The Field of Wonders – and the celebrity episode of Slaboye Zveno). Yakubovich is one of the most well-known television and internet personalities in Russia. In his youth, Yakubovich sought a practical profession, and studied metal craftsmanship. After finishing his education, he went to work at ZIL as a heat-gas technician. In college, Yakubovich started performing in the Russian KVN show. In the 1980s he became a freelance satire writer and actor, and even played in the Russian children's "film-magazine" Yeralash. Even so, Yakubovich was not considered experienced enough for regular work in television until in 1991 he accepted Vladislav Listyev's proposal to host Pole Chudes. Listyev was previously a mentor to Yakubovich, and helped sharpen his acting skills, among others.