Mikhail Zadornov

Mikhail Nikolayevich Zadornov (July 21, 1948 - November 10, 2017) was a Soviet and Russian stand-up comedian and writer. He was born into an artistic family in Jurmala, Latvian SSR, his father Nikolay Zadornov being a notable writer from Riga, and although his parents wanted him to become an engineer and he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute, he started a career as a humorist in the early 1980s. His work was first printed in 1976, and in 1984 he appeared for the first time on TV; stories such as An Open Letter to the General Secretary and The Ninth Wagon quickly gained him popularity across the USSR. A recurring theme in his humour was national stereotype and national mentality, and he often satirically compared Russian traditions with those of other nations, especially Americans. In 2002 he rescinded his visa to the United States as a protest against American athletes' flag-waving at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and in March 2014 he signed a letter supporting Vladimir Putin's position on the accession of Crimea to Russia. Zadornov died of brain cancer on November 10, 2017.