Biography
The biography of this talented woman is famous for both professional achievements and personal life. The name and photo portraits of Olga Bookper-Czech actress at the beginning of the 20th century were decorating the posters of the famous Moscow Art Theater, on the stage of which she shone along with the Grand Konstantin Stanislavsky. At the very beginning of the career, she met her big and only love - writer Anton Chekhov, their novel screamed the last years of genius.Childhood and youth
Olga Bookper was born on September 21, 1868 in the city of the Glazov of Vyatka province. Leonard Bookper's father - the rubbed Alsatian German, a native of Prussia, worked as an engineer-technologist on a distinguished plant. Anna Ivanovna Salza's mother - a musician, possessed a wonderful voice and playing the piano.
The couple brought up three children - Konstantin, Olga and Vladimir. In 1871, the Bookper family moved to Moscow. Children thanks to the mother grew in a creative atmosphere: for the holidays, musical performances were consistently prepared, they themselves sewed suits, painted the scenery, learned the songs and performed.
It was born in young Olga to artistic activity, but the father dreamed of a daughter-artist and in every way encouraged her painting. Also, Olga studied foreign languages since childhood, perfectly owned English, French and German. But the girl did not have to work. At the end of the private women's gymnasium, she has lived "lived a lady."
Everything changed the death of the Father in 1894. The financial situation of the family deteriorated sharply. Here, the musical education of Anna Ivanovna was useful, she gave private lessons, and after a while she became a professor of singing at the school of philharmonic school. Olga and Vladimir as mothers could help. Konstantin at that time served in the Caucasus.
Theater
Dreaming about acting career, Olga tried twice to get a vocational education. For the first time, the girl tried her strength in the studio of the actor and the teacher of Alexander Lensky, but he did not see the future actress in the student. The second attempt was also unsuccessful: in 1895 she was taken to the dramatic school studio of the Imperial Small Theater, but was expelled after the first unlawful exam.
As it turned out, the "deduction" was adjusted: Olga took the protege some high-ranking person. This event was very hard for the girl, and fate, as if squeezed, sends good to the artist. In the same year, she enters a dramatic school at the Moscow Philharmonic School (now guitis). Olga's fellow books were Vsevolod Meyerhold, Ivan Moskvin, Maria Germanov and other future stars MHT.
The mentor of young tagged was the outstanding theatrical figure and playwright Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. He was the first to be the talent of his student, and in 1898, after the release of the group, he invites Olga to the Moscow Art Theater's troupe created by him. Moreover, in the first play of the MHT "Tsar Fyodor John" on the play Alexei Tolstoy Olga, the main role was allocated - the Queen of Irina. The debutant was incredible success, and the next main role was not far off.
In the same year, the troupe began to rehearse Chekhov's "seagull", in this formulation Olga Leonardovna received the role of arcadine. Trepleva played Meyerhold, and Trigorin - Stanislavsky. The premiere of the play took place for the new year, and it was a real triumph, the hall applauded the play of actors standing. Soon "Chaika" became the legendary business card of the MHT.
Anton Pavlovich after the failed premiere of "Seagulls" in the capital Alexandrian theater did not believe in the success of the Moscow stage, but still visited the play and was fascinated by the game of the main character. This impression and formed the basis for their amazing history of love and subsequent marriage.
However, even tied his fate with a writer, Olga Leonardovna did not retire with him, already seriously ill, in Yalta, and continued to play the scene of the beloved theater. After the success of the "Seagulls", Chekhov plays became traditional for the scene of the MHT. "Uncle Vanya", "Three sisters", "Cherry Garden", "Ivanov" - in all these productions Olga Knipper shone in high roles.
"I don't know how to go to the role of some external features, from external harness, to create a role with the help of one technique ... While something is not born in my soul, some kind of human will not appear - I can not play. I call this "secret marriage" with a way, "she wrote in his memories.
After the death of Anton Pavlovich, the actress for a long time was retired, but when she again went on stage, her game was transformed, becoming even more deep and filigree. In the repertoire of the book appeared new roles and productions. The artist played in the Gogolev "Auditor", the comedies of Alexander Griboedov and Moliere "Mount from Wit" and "imaginary patient", Herarian's drams ombsen "When we, the dead, awaken" and Maxim Gorky "at the bottom" and many others.
With the onset of revolutionary events of the MHT troupe leaving towards touring. From 1919 to 1922, Olga Leonardovna with a team traveled the south cities of Russia, as well as Europe and the United States. In part, these creative wandering were forced - a civil war was in their native country, and the artists had no opportunity to return and work as before.
It was on these trips that the dual surname of the artist was born - Knipper Chekhov. According to the legend, in the Croatian Zagreb to increase the interest in the speeches of the troupe, the book-Chekhov decided to write in the poster, mentioning the name of the famous her husband's actress. And the trick worked - the audience in the hall was even debuning.
Olga Leonardovna returned to Moscow only in 1924. But from now on, its repertoire is no longer so wide as before. Many Chekhov and other classic performances were removed, besides, young actresses came to the theater, who took the roles that have previously enshrined at the preparation. For the actress, the period of age roles was occurring: Heldov in the "grief from the mind", Nadezhda Lvovna in "Armorian 14-69", Lady Markby in the "Ideal Money", Charman Chair in "Resurrection".
In 1937, Olga Leonardovna received the State Prize and the title of People's Artist. But then there were awards for past merit. In the Soviet theater, there were no roles for a former prince, she uncomfortable felt in the images of volitional, heroic women and less often appeared on the scene of the native theater. The last time the actress went to the favorite frames in 1950 in the "Resurrection".
Personal life
Although the acquaintance of the theatrical primacy of MHT and an outstanding writer occurred at the rehearsals of the play "Chaika", Chekhov even used to see Olga in the formulation of "Tsar Fedor John" in the role of Queen Irina. He wrote about his impression from the actress:
"Irina, in my opinion, is great. Voice, nobility, incessia - so good that even in the throat itches ... If I had stayed in Moscow, I would fall in love with this Irina. "More close to Olga and Anton Pavlovich began to communicate after the premiere of "Seagulls" in 1899. In that year, the writer visited the house of the actress, and she, in turn, visited his estate in Melikov. Then, being at a distance, the couple began to correspond. Epistolar romance conversation in the proposal of hands and hearts. In 1901, Chekhov and Knipper were married. For both it was the first marriage. In his youth, Olga had only one novel - with the famous Russian engineer Vladimir Shukhov.
However, after the wedding, the spouses saw the worries. His disease demanded constant location in warmth - in the south, and her vocation was drawn to the Moscow scene. However, Chekhov himself never vinyl into it and how he could reassured his wife in his warm and touching letters:
"You judge as it should be: if you lived with me in Yalta all winter, then your life would be spoiled, and I would feel remorse what is hardly better. After all, I knew that I was married to actress, that is, when he married, it was clear that you would live in Moscow. "
Letters were the only means of communication between lovers. It is their love correspondence, along with literary creativity, is considered an invaluable heritage of the writer. Nevertheless, the behavior of the book was condemned in the world and even attributed to her non-existent trees with a famous husband. Especially increased rejection of the wife of Anton Chekhov after his death in 1904.
The woman was able to survive this attitude, but soon he won respect for the fact that before the latter, the faithful memory of the Bogatvita Anton Pavlovich remained. Married woman no longer came out and spent the rest of the days in solitude.
Death
An outstanding actress Olga Bookper-Chekhov left on March 22, 1959 in Moscow due to prolonged disease. Theatrical prima is buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.Theatrical performances
- 1898 - "Seagull"
- 1899 - "Uncle Vanya"
- 1900 - "Snow Maiden"
- 1901 - "Three sisters"
- 1901 - "Ivanov"
- 1904 - "Cherry Garden"
- 1905 - "Sun Children"
- 1908 - "Auditor"
- 1913 - "Mnimy Patient"
- 1924 - "On all sages of pretty simplicity"