Olga Chekhova

Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova or Tchechowa (1897, Tbilisi-1980, Berlin) was a Russian actress who made a stunning career in the cinema of the Third Reich. Recently, Chekhova has been speculated to have been a Soviet spy.

Related Topics:
1897 - Tbilisi - 1980 - Berlin - Russia - Third Reich

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Born Olga Knipper, she was the daughter of Konstantin Knipper, an imperial minister and the niece of Olga Knipper (Anton Chekhov's wife), both of whom were Lutherans of ethnic German descent. She went to school in Tsarskoe Selo but, after watching Eleanora Duse act, joined a studio of the Moscow Art Theatre. There she met the great actor Mikhail Chekhov (Anton's nephew) in 1915 and married him the same year. Their daughter Olga was born in 1916.

Related Topics:
Olga Knipper - Anton Chekhov - Lutherans - German - Tsarskoe Selo - Eleanora Duse - Moscow Art Theatre - Mikhail Chekhov - 1915 - Olga - 1916

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Two years after the Russian Revolution, Chekhova divorced her husband but kept his name. She moved to Austria, then to Germany, where she played in Max Reinhardt's productions. In the 1930s, she rose to become one of the brightest stars of the Third Reich and was admired by Hitler (who did not know that Chekhova's husband was half Jewish). She was unsuccessful at making an abortive attempt to launch a Hollywood career, and retired from acting in 1955, publishing a book of memoirs. Her correspondence with Olga Knipper and Alla Tarasova was printed posthumously.

Related Topics:
Russian Revolution - Austria - Germany - Max Reinhardt - Third Reich - Hitler - Jewish - Hollywood - 1955 - Olga Knipper - Alla Tarasova

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