Kira Soltanovich

{{short description|American comedian, writer, and actress}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Kira Soltanovich

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| native_name_lang = uk

| native_name = {{nobold|Кіра Солтанович}}

| birth_name = {{transliteration|uk|ukrainian|Kira Soltanovych}}

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)

| death_date =

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| nationality =

| other_names =

| occupation = Comedian, writer, actress

}}

Kira Soltanovich{{efn|{{langx|uk|Кіра Солтанович|{{transliteration|uk|ukrainian|Kira Soltanovych}}}}}} ({{IPAc-en|s|oʊ|l|ˈ|t|ɑː|n|ə|v|ɪ|tʃ}} {{Respell|sohl|TAH|nə|vitch}};{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loA3_Fg8H_w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/loA3_Fg8H_w |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=KIRA SOLTANOVICH talks Lionel Richie - Set List: Stand-Up Without a Net - Comedy Week Live|website=YouTube |access-date=1 August 2020}}{{cbignore}} born in Lviv) is an American comedian, writer, and actress.

Soltanovich grew up in San Francisco and started performing stand-up in 1998.{{cite news |last1=Sandoval |first1=Anthony |title=Kira Soltanovich brings stand-up to Scottsdale |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/events/2014/11/19/kira-soltanovich-play-nov-scottsdale/19275469/ |access-date=30 July 2019 |publisher=The Arizona Republic |date=November 19, 2014}} After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in theater, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy full-time.{{cite news |last1=Pine |first1=Dan |title=Chopshticks with a Russian accent |url=https://www.jweekly.com/2005/12/02/chopshticks-with-a-russian-accent/ |access-date=23 March 2014 |work=The Jewish News of Northern California |date=December 2, 2005}}

Soltanovich is best known for her work on the prank-oriented reality show Girls Behaving Badly which aired on the Oxygen Network for four seasons and for being the voice of a talking photo booth in a sketch on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Jay Leno Show.{{cite web |last1=Sturm |first1=Ari |title='The Tonight Show' Photo Booth Closes its Curtains, and Kira Soltanovich Moves On, Too |url=https://www.thewrap.com/tonight-show-photo-booth-closes-curtains-guest-blog/ |website=TheWrap |publisher=The Wrap News Inc |access-date=30 July 2019 |date=February 5, 2014}} She has performed stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Last Comic Standing, Hello Ross! and Comedy Central's The World Stands Up.{{cite web |title=Kira Soltanovich |url=http://www.laughfactory.com/kirasoltanovich |website=Laugh Factory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816190045/http://www.laughfactory.com/kirasoltanovich |archive-date=16 August 2013}} Soltanovich has written for Joan Rivers and Scott Baio as well as for former Disney stars Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber (for the show PrankStars).{{cite news |last1=Hoffman |first1=Gil |title=Laughing Matters |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Laughing-matters-383914 |access-date=30 July 2019 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=December 7, 2014}} Her three-year-old son inspired her podcast, The Kira Soltanovich Show, where she interviews fellow comedians who have kids and they discuss all things comedy and colic related.

In 2010, she appeared on the Showtime special Hot Tamales Live and in 2011, Soltanovich shot a half-hour comedy special titled Here Comes Trouble as part of the network's Laugh Out Loud Festival. In 2016, she released a new special, You Did This to Me which she self-produced and made while she was seven months pregnant.{{cite web |title=Kira Soltanovich Bio |url=https://improv.com/comic/kira+soltanovich/ |website=Improv |access-date=23 September 2019}} That same year, the game show Winsanity premiered with Soltanovich as its announcer.{{Cite web|date=12 May 2016|title=GSN's Innovative New Original Game Show Series "Winsanity," Hosted By Donald Faison Premieres Thursday, June 9 at 9PM ET/PT|url=https://press.gsntv.com/resources/press-releases/gsns-innovative-new-original-game-show-series-winsanity-hosted-by-donald-faison-premieres-thursday-june-9-at-9pm-et-pt|access-date=3 June 2021|website=Game Show Network}} In 2021 she became the announcer for You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks]].