Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (; russian: Ольга Константиновна Чехова; 14 April 1897 – 9 March 1980), known in Germany as Olga Tschechowa, was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the female lead in Alfred Hitchcock's ''

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

'' (1931).

Biography

Olga Konstantinovna Knipper was born on 14 April 1897 (although some sources give 26 April or 13 April), the daughter of Konstantin Knipper (1868–1929), a railway engineer, and Yelena Luise "Lulu" Knipper (née Ried, 1874–1940), both

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

of ethnic German ancestry. Olga was the niece and namesake of

Olga Knipper Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova (russian: Ольга Леонардовна Книппер-Чехова, link=no; – 22 March 1959) was a Russian and Soviet stage actress. She was married to Anton Chekhov. Knipper was among the 39 o ...

( Anton Chekhov's wife). She went to school in

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the c ...

but, after watching Eleonora Duse, joined the Moscow Art Theatre's studio. There she met the Russian-Jewish actor Mikhail Chekhov (Anton's nephew) in 1914 and married him the same year, taking his surname as her own. Their daughter, also named Olga, was born in 1916. She became an actress under the name of Ada Tschechowa. During the year of the 1917

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

, Chekhova divorced her husband but kept his name. In the first year of the revolution, she joined a cabaret-theatre group called Sorokonozhka (The Little Centipede), as the troupe consisted of twenty members and only forty feet. Chekhova also was given a part in a silent movie, ''Anya Kraeva''. The following year, in 1918, she was given roles in ''Cagliostro'' and in ''The Last Adventure of Arsène Lupin''. Although part of the social circle around the Moscow Art Theatre, she never played a role there, despite her later claims to having her first theatre role in ''The Cherry Orchard''. She managed to get a travel passport from the Soviet government, possibly in exchange for her cooperation, which led to permission to leave Russia. She was accompanied by a Soviet agent on a train to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, then she moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1920. That same year, she married Frederick Yaroshi, though they divorced in 1921. Her first cinema role in Germany was in F. W. Murnau silent movie '' Schloß Vogelöd'' (1921). She played in Max Reinhardt's productions at

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

. She made the successful transition from silent film to talkies. In the 1930s, she rose to become one of the brightest stars of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and was admired by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. She appeared in such films as '' The Hymn of Leuthen'' although she preferred comedies. In 1936 she married for the third time, to Marcel Robbins, which ended in divorce in 1938. Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F001053-0006, Göttingen, Dreharbeaiten im Filmstudio

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F001053-0006, Göttingen, Dreharbeaiten im Filmstudio

Joseph Goebbels

A published photograph of her sitting beside Hitler at a reception gave the leaders of the Soviet intelligence service the impression that she had close contacts with Hitler. She had more contact with the Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, who referred to her in his diaries as "''eine charmante Frau''" ("a charming lady"). She is also rumored to have been a communist spy in a Soviet conspiracy. According to the book ''Killing Hitler'' (2006) by the British author Roger Moorhouse, she was pressured by

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

and

Beria Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ; – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolshevik ...

to flirt with Adolf Hitler in order to gain and transfer information so that Hitler could be killed by secret Soviet agents.

Later years

Olga achieved great success in the motion picture industry. Her filmography includes 138 credits as an actor, director, and producer between 1917 and 1974. After the war she lived in the Soviet sector of Berlin, but eventually she managed to escape from her Soviet contacts. In 1949, she moved to Munich, Bavaria, and launched a cosmetics company, ''Olga Tschechowa Kosmetik''. At the same time she continued acting, and played supporting roles and cameos in more than 20 films. She largely retired from acting in the 70s, after publishing a book of memoirs. Her correspondence with Russian actresses

and

Alla Tarasova Alla Konstantinovna Tarasova (russian: А́лла Константи́новна Тара́сова; – 5 April 1973) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress and pedagogue. She was a leading actress of Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow ...

was published posthumously. Her niece

Marina Ried Marina Ried ( Rsjevskaja; 1921–1989) was a Russian-born German stage and film actress.Cowie & Elley p.167 The niece of the film star Olga Chekhova, she was born in Moscow but moved to Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Repu ...

and granddaughter Vera Tschechowa also became actresses.

Selected filmography

* '' Anya Kraeva'' (1917) * '' Poslednie priklucheniya Arsena Lupena'' (1918) * '' Kaliostro'' (1918) * '' Schloß Vogelöd'' (1921) - Baronin Safferstätt * '' Impostor'' (1921) * '' Violet'' (1921) - Violet * '' The Circle of Death'' (1922) - Olga Petrowna * ''Der Kampf ums Ich'' (1922) * ''

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

'' (1923) - Nora * '' The Pagoda'' (1923) * '' Certificates of Death'' (1923) * '' Tatjana'' (1923) - Tatjana * '' The Lost Shoe'' (1923) - Estella * ''

Debit and Credit Debits and credits in double-entry bookkeeping are entries made in account ledgers to record changes in value resulting from business transactions. A debit entry in an account represents a transfer of value ''to'' that account, and a credit e ...

'' (1924) - Sabine * '' The Enchantress'' (1924) * '' The Venus of Montmartre'' (1925) - Gräfin Sullivan * ''

The City of Temptation ''The City of Temptation'' (German: ''Die Stadt der Versuchung'') is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Walter Niebuhr and starring Olga Tschechowa, Julanne Johnston and Adolf Klein.Grange p.196 Cast * Olga Tschechowa * Julanne Joh ...

'' (1925) * '' The Old Ballroom'' (1925, part 1, 2) * '' Should We Get Married?'' (1925) * '' Love Story'' (1925) * '' The Company Worth Millions'' (1925) * '' The Fallen'' (1926) - Malwa, Freundin von Hammer * '' The Mill at Sanssouci'' (1926) - Tänzerin Barberina * ''Der Mann aus dem Jenseits'' (1926) - Seine Frau * '' The Schimeck Family'' (1926) - Olga, seine Frau * '' Trude'' (1926) * '' The Man in the Fire'' (1926) - Diva Romola * '' His Toughest Case'' (1926) - Mary Melton * '' Grandstand for General Staff'' (1926) - Gräfin Landieren * ''

Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

'' (1926) * '' The Italian Straw Hat'' (1927) * '' The Sea'' (1927) - Rosseherre * '' His Late Excellency'' (1927) - Baronin von Windegg * '' The Italian Straw Hat'' (1928) - Anaïs de Beauperthuis * ''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

'' (1928) - Parysia * '' Pawns of Passion'' (1928) - Ala Suminska * '' Woman in Flames'' (1928) - Gräfin Clarissa Thalberg * '' After the Verdict'' (1929) - Vivian Denys * '' Diane'' (1929) - Diane Mervil * '' The Love of the Brothers Rott'' (1929) - Theresa Donath * ''Der Narr seiner Liebe'' (1929) * ''

Incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adopti ...

'' (1929) - Lisbeth Kröger - deren Tochter aus erster Ehe * ''Stud. chem. Helene Willfüer'' (1930) - Helene Willfüer * '' Love in the Ring'' (1930) - Lilian * ''

Troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...

'' (1930) - Vera Walowa * ''Der Detektiv des Kaisers'' (1930) - Olga * '' The Three from the Filling Station'' (1930) - Edith von Turoff * ''

Darling of the Gods ''Darling of the Gods'' (german: Liebling der Götter) is a 1930 German musical drama film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Emil Jannings, Renate Müller and Olga Tschechowa. Jannings had recently returned from Hollywood where the arrival ...

'' (1930) - Olga von Dagomirska * ''Zwei Krawatten'' (1930) - Mabel * '' The Road to Paradise'' (1930) - Edith de Tourkoff * '' A Girl from the Reeperbahn'' (1930) - Hanne Bullová * '' The Great Longing'' (1930) - Herself * ''Liebe auf Befehl'' (1931) - Manuela * ''

'' (1931) - Mary Baring * '' Panic in Chicago'' (1931) - Florence Dingley * '' The Night of Decision'' (1931) - Maria Iwanowa (Marya Sablin) * '' The Concert'' (1931) - Maria Heink, Gattin * ''

Night Convoy ''Night Convoy'' (german: Nachtkolonne) is a 1932 German drama film directed by James Bauer and starring Vladimir Gajdarov, Olga Tschechowa and Oskar Homolka. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and on location in Hamburg. The film's ...

'' (1932) - Inka Maria, seine Frau * '' Trenck'' (1932) - Elisabeth, Zarin von Rußland * ''The Gala Performance'' (1932) - Miß Harris * '' The Hymn of Leuthen'' (1933) - Gräfin Mariann * ''

Liebelei ' is a 1933 German period drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Magda Schneider, Wolfgang Liebeneiner, and Luise Ullrich. Production The film, based on a play of the same name ('' Liebelei'') by Arthur Schnitzler, describes an ill-f ...

'' (1933) - Baronin v. Eggersdorff * '' A Love Story'' (1933) - Baronin von Eggersdorf * ''

Ways to a Good Marriage ''Ways to a Good Marriage'' (German: ''Wege zur guten Ehe'') is a 1933 German drama film directed by Adolf Trotz and starring Olga Tschechowa, Alfred Abel and Hilde Hildebrand. It was shot at the EFA Studios in Halensee in Berlin. The film's set ...

'' (1933) - Claire Veiler, die unbefriedigte Frau * ''Ein gewisser Herr Gran'' (1933) - Frau Mervin * ''Un certain monsieur Grant'' (1933) - Mme Merwin - une espionne * '' The Country Schoolmaster'' (1933) - Teresa van der Straaten * ''Um ein bisschen Glück'' (1933) - Helene, seine Frau * '' Police Report'' (1934) - Gisela Ostercamp * '' Between Two Hearts'' (1934) - Inge Leuthoff * ''L'amour qu'il faut aux femmes'' (1934) - Le troisième couple * '' The World Without a Mask'' (1934) - Betty Bandelow * ''Maskerade'' (1934) - Anita Keller - seine Braut * '' What Am I Without You'' (1934) - Lilly Petrowa, Schauspielerin * ''Abenteuer eines jungen Herrn in Polen'' (1934) - Gräfin Lubenska * '' Peer Gynt'' (1934) - Baronin * ''

Regine Regine () or Régine is a feminine given name. Regine is a German-French form of Regina, and Régine is a French form of Regina. People with the first name include: Regine * Regine Heitzer (born 1944), Austrian figure skater * Regine Hildebrandt ...

'' (1935) - Floris Bell, Schauspielerin * ''

Asew ''Asew'' or ''Double-Agent Asew'' or ''Asew the Agent Provocateur'' (german: Lockspitzel Asew) is a 1935 German-Austrian thriller film directed by Phil Jutzi and starring Fritz Rasp, Olga Tschechowa, and Hilde von Stolz. It was shot at the Sie ...

'' (1935) - Tanja Asew, seine Frau * ''

The Eternal Mask ''The Eternal Mask'' (German: ''Die ewige Maske'') is a 1935 Austrian-Swiss drama film directed by Werner Hochbaum and starring Peter Petersen, Mathias Wieman and Franz Schafheitlin. The film was amongst the best ten foreign films of the year jud ...

'' (1935)Filmed in German by a Swiss production firm, (The Eternal Mask) adapted by Leo Lapaire from his own novel. Mathias Weimann plays an idealistic doctor who believes he has discovered a cure for meningitis. Ordered not to experiment with this serum, Weimann does so anyway, utilizing the supposed wonder drug on a terminal patient. When the man dies, Weimann is reprimanded by his superiors, and wanders out of the hospital, believing himself a failure. His depression deepens into delirium, and soon the doctor is wandering through a Caligariesque world of distorted shapes and distended shadows, where he finds it impossible to separate illusion from reality. Meanwhile, Weimann's superiors determine that the meningitis serum is indeed effective; now they must snap the doctor out of his nightmare in order for him to reveal the formula. One of the very few successful attempts to convey madness on screen. - Madame Negar * ''Rêve d'Amour'' (1935) - Gräfin Madeleine Duday * '' Artist Love'' (1935) - Olivia Vanderhagen * ''Ein Walzer um den Stephansturm'' (1935) - Sylvia von Polonska * ''

The Empress's Favourite ''The Empress's Favourite'' (german: Der Favorit der Kaiserin) is a 1936 German historical comedy film directed by Werner Hochbaum and starring Olga Chekhova, Anton Pointner and Heinz von Cleve.Beevor It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Be ...

'' (1936) - Elisabeth Kaiserin von Russland * ''L'argent'' (1936) - Baronne Sandorff * ''Manja Valewska'' (1936) - Gräfin Pola Valewska * '' His Daughter is Called Peter'' (1936) - Nora Noir * '' Hannerl and Her Lovers'' (1936) - Frau von Stahl * '' Court Theatre'' (1936) - Baroness Seebach * ''Petersburger Romanze'' (1936) * ''Die weissen Teufel'' (1936) * ''Liebe geht seltsame Wege'' (1937) - Antonia Delvarez * ''Unter Ausschluß der Öffentlichkeit'' (1937) - Brigitte Sparrenberg * '' Die gelbe Flagge'' (1937) - Helen Roeder - amerikanische Journalistin * ''Gewitterflug zu Claudia'' (1937) - Frau Mainburg * ''Das Mädchen mit dem guten Ruf'' (1938) - Mirandolina * '' Red Orchids'' (1938) - Maria Dorando * ''Zwei Frauen'' (1938) - Paula Corvey * ''Verliebtes Abenteuer'' (1938) - Olivia * '' The Stars Shine'' (1938) - Herself * ''

Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...

'' (1939) - Madeleine Forestier * ''Ich verweigere die Aussage'' (1939) - Nora Ottendorf * ''Parkstraße 13'' (1939) - Evelyne Schratt * ''Die unheimlichen Wünsche'' (1939) - Feodora, Schauspielerin * '' Liberated Hands'' (1939) - Kerstin Thomas * '' Passion'' (1940) - Gerda * ''Angelika'' (1940) - Angelika * '' The Fox of Glenarvon'' (1940) - Gloria Grandison * '' Menschen im Sturm'' (1941) - Vera seine Frau * ''

Andreas Schlüter Andreas Schlüter (1659 – c. June 1714) was a German baroque sculptor and architect, active in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Tsardom. Biography Andreas Schlüter was b ...

'' (1942) - Gräfin Vera Orlewska * '' With the Eyes of a Woman'' (1942) - Marie-Louise v. Ditmar, Baronin von Stein * '' The Eternal Tone'' (1943) - Josephine Malti, Singer * ''Reise in die Vergangenheit'' (1943) - Marianne von der Halden * ''Gefährlicher Frühling'' (1943) - Juliane von Buckwitz * ''

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is als ...

'' (1944) - Nora * '' In the Temple of Venus'' (1948) - Carola Weber * '' One Night Apart'' (1950) - Vera, seine Frau * ''Kein Engel ist so rein'' (1950) - Margot * ''

Two in One Suit ''Two in One Suit'' (german: Zwei in einem Anzug) is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Joe Stöckel and starring Stöckel, Wolf Albach-Retty and Olga Tschechowa.Frank p. 173 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich and on location ...

'' (1950) - Catherine Turner * ' (1950) - Susanne de Bogne - Journalistin * '' Trouble in Paradise'' (1950) - Myriam Esneh * '' The Man Who Wanted to Live Twice'' (1950) - Irene Hesse * ''Begierde'' (1951) - Frau des Bankpräsidenten * ''Eine Frau mit Herz'' (1951) - Vera von Wesener * ''Das Geheimnis einer Ehe'' (1951) - Tina Camphausen * '' My Friend the Thief'' (1951) - Percys Schwester * '' Behind Monastery Walls'' (1952) - Priorin * '' Everything for Father'' (1953) - Frau von Pleskow * ''

Rose-Girl Resli ''Rose-Girl Resli'' (german: Rosen-Resli) is a 1954 West German drama film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Christine Kaufmann, Josefin Kipper and Paul Klinger. The film made the child actress Kaufmann into a star. It was the debut film of ...

'' (1953) - Mrs. von Weidersheim * ''Heute nacht passiert's'' (1953) - HImself - Gast im Modesalon * '' Captain Wronski'' (1954) - Frau von Eichhoff * '' I Was an Ugly Girl'' (1955) - Luise Raymond * '' The Barrings'' (1955) - Amelie von Eyff * '' U 47 – Kapitänleutnant Prien'' (1958) - Die Fürstin * '' Jack and Jenny'' (1963) - Mutter Johannsen * ''

The Twins from Immenhof ''The Twins from Immenhof'' (german: Die Zwillinge vom Immenhof) is a 1973 West German family film, family drama film directed by Wolfgang Schleif and starring Heidi Brühl, Horst Janson (actor), Horst Janson and Olga Tschechowa.Bock & Bergfelder p ...

'' (1973) - Großmutter Arkens * ''

Spring in Immenhof ''Spring in Immenhof'' (german: Frühling auf Immenhof) is a 1974 West German family film directed by Wolfgang Schleif and starring Heidi Brühl, Horst Janson and Olga Tschechowa.Bock & Bergfelder p.485 It is the fifth and last of the series of ...

'' (1974) - Großmutter (final film role)

References

External links