Leonid Arkadyevich Yakubovich is a Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

 actor and television host

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

, best known for hosting the game show Pole Chudes

Pole Chudes

Polé Chudes is a Russian adaptation of the U.S. game show Wheel of Fortune produced by VID, and hosted by Leonid Yakubovich and Rimma Agafoshina.-Format:...

 (the Russian version of the Wheel of Fortune, literally, Field of Wonders). Yakubovich is one of the most well-known television 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

Zavod Imeni Likhacheva

Zavod imeni Likhachova, more commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosani...

 as a heat-gas technician. In college, Yakubovich started performing in the Russian KVN

KVN

KVN is a Russian humour TV show and competition where teams compete by giving funny answers to questions and showing prepared sketches. The programme was first aired by the First Soviet Channel on November 8, 1961...

 show.

In the 1980s he became a freelance satire writer and actor, and even played in the Russian children's "film-magazine" Yeralash

Yeralash

Yeralash is a Russian children's comedy TV show and children's comedy magazine. Yeralash also runs an actor studio and the "Yeralash Island" camp. The word Eralash means "muddle, mess, or jungle" in the Russian language.-TV show:...

. Even so, Yakubovich was not considered experienced enough for regular work in television until in 1991 he accepted Vladislav Listyev

Vladislav Listyev

-External links:* - IFEX*...

's proposal to host Pole Chudes

Pole Chudes

Polé Chudes is a Russian adaptation of the U.S. game show Wheel of Fortune produced by VID, and hosted by Leonid Yakubovich and Rimma Agafoshina.-Format:...

. Listyev was previously a mentor to Yakubovich, and helped sharpen his acting skills, among others.