Vera Tschechowa

Vera Tschechowa was an elegant beautiful green-eyed German film and television actress and director of Russian descent. Her grandfather was Oscar-nominated Russian-American actor Michael Chekhov who was the nephew of writer Anton Chekhov.

She was born Vera Wilhelmowna Rust on July 22, 1940, in Berlin. Her father was Dr. Wilhelm Rust, and her mother was actress and agent Ada Tschechowa. Vera was brought up in Germany by her Russian-German grandmother, a silent film actress Olga Tschechowa. Her early childhood was affected by the Second World War. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she spent much time with her grandfather, Michael Chekhov in California, and also traveled in the United States. She started education as an artist and stage designer, then studied acting at Munich Drama school. Eventually, she followed the footsteps of her mother and grandmother and became an actress.

In 1956, she made her film debut in 'Witwer mit funf Tochtern', a film by director Heinz Erhardt. In 1959, she made her stage debut at Berlin Theater, then worked on stage at Deutsche Schauspielhaus Hamburg, and also at Dusseldorfer Schauspielhaus and at Theater Basel. In 1962, she received German National Film Award for her work in 'Das Brot der Fruhen Jahre'.

Vera Tschechowa had a formidable film career as an actress as well as a director. She played over 30 roles in feature films, and made numerous appearances on television in several countries of Europe. In 1977, she received the Goldene Camera award for her role in the ZDF production 'Zeit der Emphindsamkeit'. She also appeared as herself in Chekov in My Life (1984 documentary) directed by her husband Vadim Glowna.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Tschechowa was known as a director of movie portraits, such as of Klaus Maria Brandauer (1994), Anthony Quinn (1997), and Robert Redford among her other works. In 2006, she presented her film-portrait about the Makhmalbaf family of filmmakers at the Munchner Filmfest. She spoke four languages: German, English, French, and Russian.

She died in 2024, aged 83.