Olga Knipper-Chekhova,Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova (nee Knipper) was born on September 9, 1868, in Glasov, Russian Empire, into the family of a German origin. She received an excellent private education and was bilingual, being fluent in Russian and German. She was one of the original 39 founding members of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898.