who speaks French, German and English, and is a first-class pianist" was no problem for Knipper who already acquired those skills. Knipper received much praise for her portrayal as Masha, much to Chekhov's amusement. Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper eventually married on 25 May 1901 at the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. It was a spur of the moment, small wedding about which hardly anyone knew, including Chekhov's mother and sister, and Olga's mother. Many close friends and family were hurt by the secrecy. Their marriage ended when Chekhov died of tuberculosis in 1904. It has been claimed in 1902 she had an operation to abort an ectopic pregnancy. The conception must have taken place at a time when she and Chekhov were temporarily living apart and he could not have been the father; as Chekhov was a doctor he would have realised this. Death Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova worked with the Moscow Art Theatre for the remainder of her life. On 22 March 1959, she died in Moscow, USSR, at age 90 References External links Pitcher, Harvey. Chekhov's Leading Lady: a Portrait of the Actress Olga Knipper. New York and London: Franklin Watts, 1980. 1868 births 1959 deaths 19th-century actresses from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian actresses People from Glazov People from Glazovsky Uyezd Actresses from the Russian Empire People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian people of German descent Russian stage actresses Soviet stage actresses Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery