Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova, nee Knipper: biography and filmography of the actress

How many know who Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova is? TSB (Great Soviet Encyclopedia) contains brief information about this woman. What is known about it? Olga Chekhova is a student of the great Stanislavsky and a movie star. She was also the wife of the writer's nephew Anton Chekhov. At one time, it was the prism of the Third Reich and the favorite of Adolf Hitler. On the other hand, she is considered a Kremlin agent. She is a legend and a real mystery of the twentieth century. It is a pity that for a long time her name was hushed up ... How did life of Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova? Family, children, biography - all this has become the subject of our review. So, let's begin.

In the family of Russified Germans

Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (nee Knipper) - born in 1897. Was born in Alexandropol, that in Armenia. It was named after aunt, famous actress Olga Leonidovna Knipper-Chekhova. Also the latter was the wife of the genius writer Anton Chekhov.

The parents of the future star were Russified Germans. So, their ancestors lived in Saarbrucken in Germany.

My father was an engineer. And at that time he was engaged in the construction of one of the railways of the Russian Empire.

When little Olya was two years old, the Knippers' family moved to Tsarskoe Selo.

According to the recollections of the actress, it was here she often played with the king's offspring.

Teacher Stanislavsky

In the Tsarskoe Selo, Olga was in love with Erich Hollerbach. In those days he was a famous art critic. However, this love affair has not received any continuation. The fact is that in 1910 the Knipper family once again moved to another city. Now this time - to St. Petersburg.

At school, Olga did not go very well. She received high marks mainly in the disciplines related to art. That is why in 1914, parents decided to send her to Moscow in order to better master this subject. In the Mother See, she lived with her aunt, the widow of Anton Chekhov.

Thus, she began as a volunteer to attend theater classes at the Moscow Art Theater. And the first teacher was the genius K. Stanislavsky.

First marriage

In this educational institution, Olga managed to quickly learn. With success, she took part in many sensational productions of her teacher, among which were The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.

After a while, she received the role of Ophelia in Hamlet. And the main character was played by Mikhail Chekhov, who was the nephew of the famous writer.

They developed a violent romance. Although he claimed to love Olga and cousin Mikhail Ivan. But the actress decided to immediately stop this relationship, and in September 1914 Olga and Mikhail secretly got married. They say that she was more than proud of her new name. Even years later she did not change it.

Mikhail Chekhov subsequently became an outstanding director and teacher. In the United States, he created his theatrical school. Among his students were Marlon Brando, James Dean, Yul Brynner, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe and many other celebrities.

Break with Mikhail Chekhov

When the newlyweds were married, Olga was only seventeen. Michael is older than his wife for six years. In 1916, the couple also had a first-born daughter Olya.

The actress still managed to continue to act in silent films. For example, she took part in the film "Cagliostro".

But the marriage between Michael and Olga, unfortunately, turned out to be more than unsuccessful. They did not agree with the characters, and at the end of 1917 they decided to part ways.

But Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova, whose photo you have the opportunity to see in the article, managed to save not only a big name, but also a good relationship with the ex-spouse. They did not look back at the past and decided not to remember their mutual reproaches. In a word, they really wanted to live only real.

In addition, Mikhail Chekhov was very attached to his daughter. Years later, she inherited from her father, a ranch near the American city of San Francisco.

Trip to Europe

Meanwhile, after the events of October 1917, Olga's comfortable life turned into a living hell. To feed her daughter, she was forced to sell her memorabilia and personal things. And she herself was starving.

In early 1921 she received permission from the authorities for a six-week overseas trip. The purpose of this voyage is health correction. So she decided to go to Germany. She was 23 years old.

It was there that she once again arranged her personal life. She became the wife of a certain Friedrich Jarosha. True, this marriage proved to be very short-lived. After the divorce, she decided to devote herself entirely to art.

Debut in German cinema

When she was 24, she made her first debut in the cinema of Germany. It's about the silent film "The Castle of Vogeled". The premiere took place in April 1921 and was a great success. Since then she began to shoot regularly, in six to eight films a year.

In 1922, she took part in the filming of the tape "Dance of Death." The picture was very flattering. In a word, Olga was recognized by German audiences and directors, she wanted to see her on the screens as often as possible.

After a while Olga Chekhova, films with the participation of which found her grateful spectator, was again on the set, but now she acted as a director. Alas, her film "Pagoda" was not very successful. By this time, Olga had obtained German citizenship and, of course, no longer thought of returning to the Soviet Union.

She was followed by good luck. So, she signed a contract with one of the theaters in Berlin. A few months later, at the end of spring 1924, my mother, sister and daughter moved to live with her.

In 1927, Olga starred in the film "Burning Boundary". By the way, this tape was very much liked by the future Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. Subsequently, he will always praise her for this role.

But still the true glory of the actress brought the painting "Moulin Rouge", filmed by a British director.

Then Olga managed to work on the sound tape, which was called "Three from the gas station." This picture became a classic of world cinema.

And after this film Olga Chekhova went to America. Hitchcock himself suggested that she star in her film "Mary". Staying in the States and making a career as a Hollywood actress was a truly tempting offer. But she decided to return to Germany after all. The Germans were able to appreciate this act.

Acquaintance with the Fuhrer

By the beginning of the 1930s Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova-Knipper, photo of which was placed in the article, was already a real star of German cinema. And in 1933 the Nazis came to power. Because of this, many directors, writers, actors left the country immediately. But Olga stayed. It was officially presented to the Führer, Goebbels and Himmler. Hitler called her favorite actress and showered compliments. He gave her every possible patronage. According to Chekhov's memoirs, Hitler was a very shy and awkward person. True, he always kept himself with women with Austrian courtesy. However, she did not see in him something "demonic" and fascinating.

Subsequently, Chekhov repeatedly will have to attend official receptions from the National Socialists. She met Mussolini. She had a good relationship with the Göringen couple. She also met Eva Brown, who was considered the mistress of the Fuhrer. By the way, women more than made friends and began to communicate often.

State actress

By 1936, Chekhov had many offers from different theaters. She had a truly phenomenal success. Probably, it is for this reason that the Fuhrer decided to give Olga the title of "state actress of the III Reich".

In the same year, she became engaged to the millionaire Marcel Robins of Belgium. However, this marriage also suffered a fiasco. The couple parted in 1938.

In 1937, the Moscow Art Theater troupe undertook a tour of France. The widow of Anton Chekhov took part in these tours. Soviet officials gave her the opportunity to visit the German capital to see her beloved niece. Relatives did not communicate for twenty years. As a result, Olga Chekhova arranged a brilliant reception for her aunt. But Olga Leonardovna was in a state of shock. The niece decided to introduce her to the Nazi leaders. Goering shook hands with his aunt and smiled kindly. The Fuhrer was not present in this meeting. But he called her and strongly apologized that he could not come because of urgent state affairs ...

In the early autumn of 1940, during the battle for Britain, the actress arrived at the Luftwaffe base in Normandy. The pilots decided to hold a parade in honor of their favorite actress. A month later, the French capital published another issue of one of the prestigious publications, where on the front page was a picture of Chekhov, surrounded by German soldiers.

In addition, the military called her as a guest in the garrisons of Lille and Brussels. She also performed songs for the wounded at Tubingen Hospital.

And in late 1940 Chekhov received a certain parcel from the Fuhrer. There was a picture of Hitler with a dedicatory inscription. The German leader once again admired her talent.

Eastern front

When Nazi Germany decided to attack the USSR, Goebbels asked Chekhov, what are the prospects for the Nazi troops to capture Moscow. Actress, not at all embarrassed, said that, apparently, they will not succeed. True, she added that perhaps she was mistaken.

Meanwhile, the fascist army occupied Crimea. And in Yalta was so called. "White Cottage", where once lived writer Anton Chekhov. It is said that this house was not destroyed and did not suffer only because the actress specifically asked the Nazi leaders to keep this building.

The war continued. Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova, whose biography was very uneasy, decided to abandon performances on the Eastern Front. And when she was in the air, she did not perform patriotic compositions, but only lyric ones. She also continued to tour. She was in Prague, Munich, Vienna.

According to unverified sources, the counterintelligence of the USSR was going to attract the actress to the attempt on the Fuhrer. For unexplained reasons, the Communist leader Joseph Stalin personally abolished this plan.

Many believe that Olga Konstantinovna Knipper-Chekhov generally worked for Soviet intelligence. Thus, Sergo Beria writes in the pages of his book that Chekhov was an agent of the USSR. But documentary evidence has not yet been submitted.

Perhaps it was all so. In any case, there is information that in early 1945 Himmler was going to question Chekhov. When his fighters came to the actress, they saw that she cute tea with the Fuhrer herself. Thus, the arrest did not take place.

And already at the end of April there was a battle for the German capital ...

Arrest of prima

When the terrible war ended, Chekhov came to the Soviet soldiers. They found out who she was and arrested her. In the beginning she was interrogated in Berlin, and then on a military aircraft sent to the capital of the Soviet Union. There she lived in a two-room apartment. She was forbidden to see her relatives. In a word, she was still a prisoner.

She was visited by Soviet officers. They brought books for her, played chess with her. They talked about music, about cinema, theatrical productions, about literature. And then three months of interrogation began. The actress did not hide anything at all. After that, at the end of July 1945, Chekhov was brought back to Berlin. She, a helper of the Nazi regime, was not shot or arrested. Why - this question remains unanswered ...

Postwar time

When Olga Konstantinovna Knipper-Chekhova returned to Berlin, she had practically no means of subsistence. Now her material condition almost did not exist anymore. In these difficult conditions, her fame as an actress helped. She told me that many then asked her pictures for memory. For this she received food, as well as cigarettes.

And in November 1945, a Berlin newspaper called Courier, which was published by the French military authorities, reported that Chekhov was awarded a high award - the Russian Order. And he was handed in by Stalin himself. This message was replicated in a number of well-known publications.

Four years later, Chekhov decided to go to West Germany. And, absolutely nobody prevented this desire. It was there that she managed to found her own film studio. Unfortunately, this project was not fully implemented, because the company went bankrupt.

Then Chekhov decided to return to the stage. In addition, she again began to act in films. She also once again decided to expand the range of its activities.

She sold her antiques with jewels to open her new company. She created a beauty salon called Olga Chekhova Cosmetics Gesellschaft. By the way, in this respect she was helped by a cosmetologist diploma. As early as 1937 she became a professional specialist. I got a diploma in Paris. By the way, the company Chekhov became one of the most famous in European countries. At the same time, there were branches of her company ... So, one of the salons was in Milan.

In the late 50's, the actress took up her pen. The book of her memoirs was called "I do not keep silence!". The work was very popular.

On the Sunset

Thanks to Chekhov's income, in fact, she was able to secure a decent old age

In 1962 she was awarded the "For a longstanding outstanding contribution to German cinema" prize.

Two years later she wanted to come to the USSR to talk, at last, with her relatives. But officials refused her.

In the same year, she broke up with her theatrical career. She was sixty-seven. And she left the movie a decade earlier. By the way, her penultimate film was called "Talent to be happy". By the way, the actress played herself.

In 1972, the German authorities awarded her with the Cross for Merit.

And even literally to a very old age, she loved to drive. Although her driver was available. Her favorite car was BMW.

Death of the actress

She was not in 1980. Doctors diagnosed brain cancer. She died at the age of 83 years. The great actress was buried at one of Munich's cemeteries.

In 1997, in Berlin in the Spandau district in honor of Chekhovoy even called the street.

Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (years of life: 1897 - 1980) survived the death of her daughter. She crashed in a plane crash in fifty years.

Granddaughter Chekhova also became an actress.

And the last. One of the pictures of Olga Chekhova was called "A man who wanted to live twice." Apparently, she already managed to live two fates, two lives. She lived alone in Germany, and the other in Russia ...