The State - News from June 24, 1986

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff of Hollywood and business executive Hriar Nadjarian of Studio City were selected by Gov. George Deukmejian to represent California at the July 4 centennial ceremony of the Statue of Liberty in New York. Smirnoff and Nadjarian will be sworn in as U.S. citizens at the ceremony. The National Governors Assn. asked each governor to select two individuals from their states to participate in the ceremony. Smirnoff, 35, came to the United States in 1977 from the Soviet Union with his mother and father. He has appeared in several feature films, including “Moscow on the Hudson,” “Brewster’s Millions” and the “Money Pit.” Nadjarian, 40, immigrated from Lebanon in 1977. He is owner of Western Diesel Inc., an industrial motor parts remanufacturing company in Los Angeles.