Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904) was a Russian playwright and writer, whose plays received international acclaim, and who as a short-story writer is still regarded as virtually unmatched. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."
The son of a former serf, Chekhov started out supporting his family by writing popular comic sketches as a medicine student. While practicing as a doctor, he produced his first full-length play, Ivanov (1887). He took up serious themes with stories such as “The Steppe” (1888) and “A Dreary Story” (1889); later stories include “Ward Number Six” (1892), “The Black Monk” (1894) and “The Lady with the Dog” (1899). His play The Seagull (1896) was badly received until its successful revival in 1899 by Konstantin Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre. After this he converted his earlier work The Wood Demon (1889) into the universally acclaimed play Uncle Vanya (1897). To nurse his eventually fatal tuberculosis he moved to the Crimea, where he wrote his famous last plays, Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).
Known For
Black Sabbath
(1963)
Novel
Days and Nights
(2014)
Story
The Seagull
(2018)
Theatre Play
Full Filmography
Writing
The Country Man, or The Involuntary Tragedian
(1911)
Original Story
Romance with a Double Bass
(1911)
Story
Long Live... Mice
(1916)
Story
Tsvety zapozdalye
(1917)
Story
Kashtanka
(1926)
Writer
Superfluous People
(1926)
Story
Ranks and People
(1929)
Story
The Bear
(1938)
Theatre Play
The Bear
(1938)
Writer
Man in a Shell
(1939)
Writer
Surgery
(1939)
Novel
Summer Storm
(1944)
Novel
Wedding
(1944)
Writer
Юбилей
(1944)
Novel
Story of the Bass Cello
(1949)
Short Story
The Bad Boy
(1951)
Story
Toto and the Kings of Rome
(1952)
Story
Iniquity
(1953)
Writer
Medvěd
(1953)
Theatre Play
The Safety Match
(1954)
Story
The Anna Cross
(1954)
Writer
Il matrimonio
(1954)
Theatre Play and Author
The Grasshopper
(1955)
Story
The Lottery Ticket
(1956)
Short Story
Medvěd
(1956)
Theatre Play
The Bride
(1956)
Novel
Uncle Vanya
(1957)
Theatre Play
Boots
(1957)
Writer
Revenger
(1958)
Author
La Sorcière
(1958)
Writer
The Proposal
(1959)
Writer
Måsen
(1959)
Theatre Play
The Witch
(1959)
Writer
Liberal
(1959)
Story
Les trois soeurs
(1960)
Writer
Huntsman
(1960)
Story
Vanka
(1960)
Story
Drama
(1960)
Story
Mest
(1960)
Novel
Podzimní slunce
(1960)
Theatre Play and Short Story
Lady with the Dog
(1960)
Novel
Proizvedenie iskusstva
(1960)
Writer
Пёстрые рассказы
(1961)
Story
Враги
(1961)
Story
The House with the Mezzanine
(1961)
Writer
Duel
(1961)
Writer
The Wedding
(1961)
Writer
Námluvy
(1961)
Novel
Medvěd
(1961)
Theatre Play
The Steppe
(1962)
Novel
The Cherry Orchard
(1962)
Theatre Play
Uncle Vanya
(1963)
Screenplay
Black Sabbath
(1963)
Novel
Tears the World Can't See
(1963)
Short Story
Der jähzornige junge Mann
(1963)
Theatre Play
Starostlivý otec
(1963)
Short Story
Аптекарша
(1964)
Book
Tři sestry
(1964)
Theatre Play
Ivanov
(1964)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(1964)
Novel
The Teacher of Literature
(1965)
Story
Deary
(1966)
Novel
In the Town of S.
(1966)
Story
Лебединая песня
(1966)
Story
Labutí píseň
(1966)
Theatre Play
Labutí píseň
(1966)
Theatre Play
The Three Sisters
(1966)
Author
Zločin a trik I.
(1967)
Short Story
Опекун
(1967)
Story
Gooseberry
(1967)
Story
Na zapřenou
(1967)
Short Story
Navštívenka
(1967)
Short Story
Eccentrics
(1967)
Story
Суд
(1968)
Story
The Sea Gull
(1968)
Theatre Play
Román o base
(1968)
Short Story
If Only the Trains Came
(1968)
Writer
Главный свидетель
(1969)
Short Story
Bahno
(1969)
Short Story
An Event
(1969)
Story
Chameleón
(1969)
Short Story
Exam for Rank
(1969)
Story
Belated Flowers
(1969)
Writer
Körsbärsträdgården
(1970)
Theatre Play
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Novel
Three Sisters
(1970)
Theatre Play
Family Happiness
(1970)
Writer
Svadba
(1970)
Theatre Play
Belated Flowers
(1970)
Novel
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Writer
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Writer
Ujo Váňa
(1970)
Theatre Play
The Three Sisters
(1970)
Writer
Drama on the Hunt
(1970)
Novel
Platonov
(1971)
Theatre Play
The Cherry Orchard
(1971)
Writer
Jubileum
(1971)
Theatre Play
Platonov
(1971)
Writer
The Roundabout
(1971)
Short Story
Zlodeji
(1971)
Short Story
Švédska zápalka
(1971)
Book
Rain
(1972)
Story
These Different, Different, Different Faces
(1972)
Story
Моя жизнь
(1972)
Story
The Seagull
(1972)
Theatre Play
Prelietavka
(1972)
Short Story
Jeden ze soubojů
(1972)
Short Story
Romance with a Double Bass
(1972)
Writer
Nepriatelia
(1973)
Short Story
Ward Six
(1973)
Novel
A Misfortune
(1973)
Story
The Duel
(1973)
Novel and Writer
Mamad
(1973)
Writer
The Wood Demon
(1974)
Theatre Play
Les Trois Sœurs
(1974)
Writer
Romance with a Double Bass
(1974)
Short Story
An Artist's Story
(1974)
Writer
Kashtanka
(1975)
Writer
The Seagull
(1975)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(1976)
Writer
Kaštanka
(1976)
Original Story
Racek
(1976)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(1977)
Novel
Dead End
(1977)
Novel
Chekhov's Pages
(1977)
Theatre Play
An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano
(1977)
Theatre Play
Funny People!
(1977)
Story
The Steppe
(1978)
Writer
Хористка
(1978)
Story
Soft-Boiled Boots
(1978)
Writer
Ward Six
(1978)
Story
Il prigioniero
(1978)
Novel
My Tender and Affectionate Beast
(1978)
Novel
Višňový sad
(1978)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(1978)
Writer
The Good Doctor
(1978)
Writer
Labutí píseň
(1979)
Theatre Play
Story of an Unknown Man
(1980)
Story
Three Years
(1980)
Story
The Three Sisters
(1981)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(1981)
Theatre Play
Vanka Zhukov
(1981)
Story
Obyčajný príbeh
(1982)
Short Story
Anyuta
(1982)
Writer
Dve duše
(1982)
Short Story
La Cerisaie
(1982)
Theatre Play and Writer
Hasičský plášť
(1983)
Short Story
Fish Day
(1983)
Story
An Uneventful Story
(1983)
Short Story
The Kiss
(1983)
Writer
Švédská zápalka
(1983)
Short Story
The Man In The Case
(1983)
Short Story
Koe-chto iz Gubernskoy Zhizni
(1983)
Short Story
Courtship
(1983)
Theatre Play
The Bear
(1984)
Story
Incredible Bet, or True Event That Ended Happily Hundred Years Ago
(1984)
Short Story
Из жизни земского врача
(1984)
Writer
Björnen
(1984)
Writer
Three Sisters
(1984)
Story
Big Volodya, Small Volodya
(1985)
Story
Rozprávanie pani N.N.
(1985)
Book
The Witch
(1986)
Novel
Ростислав Плятт читает Чехова
(1986)
Story
Dark Eyes
(1987)
Short Story
Hôtel de France
(1987)
Author
Love and Fear
(1988)
Theatre Play
The Black Monk
(1988)
Story
The Death of a Government Clerk
(1988)
Short Story
Three Years
(1990)
Novel
Uncle Vanya
(1991)
Original Story
The Harmfulness of Tobacco
(1991)
Novel
Swan Song
(1992)
Author
Brace Up!
(1993)
Writer
If Only I Knew...
(1993)
Theatre Play
Country Life
(1994)
Author
Three Sisters
(1994)
Theatre Play
Onkel Vanja
(1994)
Theatre Play
Vanya on 42nd Street
(1994)
Theatre Play and Screenplay
A Golden Ring, a Bouquet of Scarlet Roses
(1994)
Short Story
Frieriet
(1995)
Theatre Play
August
(1996)
Theatre Play
The Cherry Orchard
(1997)
Writer
Racek
(1997)
Theatre Play
Agáta
(1999)
Short Story
From Every Man I Loved
(1999)
Short Story
The Cherry Orchard
(1999)
Writer
Nina
(2000)
Writer
Lover's Prayer
(2001)
Novel
Upheaval
(2002)
Story
Chekhovian Motifs
(2002)
Writer
Three Sisters
(2003)
Writer
Fear
(2004)
Story
Ragin
(2004)
Novel
About Love
(2004)
Novel
The Sisters
(2005)
Original Story
Digital Sam in Sam Saek 2006: Talk to Her
(2006)
Short Story
About Love
(2006)
Writer
Seagull
(2007)
Original Story
Uncle Vanya
(2007)
Original Story
Afternoon
(2007)
Original Story
The Orchard
(2008)
Novel
Backstage Story
(2009)
Writer
Ivanov
(2009)
Novel
Ward No. 6
(2009)
Novel
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
(2010)
Novel
The Little Theater
(2011)
Writer
National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard
(2011)
Original Story
Hollywood Seagull
(2013)
Theatre Play
Days and Nights
(2014)
Story
It Can Pass Through the Wall
(2014)
Short Story
Ottaal
(2014)
Author
Agafia
(2015)
Short Story
Le Rustre et le Juge
(2015)
Short Story
Three Sisters
(2015)
Writer
Platonow
(2015)
Screenplay
Three Sisters
(2017)
Theatre Play
Joker
(2017)
Novel
The Seagull
(2017)
Author
The Seagull
(2018)
Theatre Play
To Stumble
(2019)
Book
National Theatre Live: Three Sisters
(2019)
Writer
Cherry Orchard
(2019)
Book
Uncle Vanya
(2019)
Writer
Onkel Wanja
(2019)
Writer
The Vanishing Field
(2020)
Writer
Wrecker
(2020)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(2020)
Writer
Uncle Vanya
(2020)
Writer
Sonata
(2021)
Writer
Crise de nerfs
(2021)
Author
The Cherry Orchard
(2022)
Writer
The seagull - the movie
(2022)
Writer
National Theatre Live: The Seagull
(2022)
Writer
The Seagull
(2023)
Original Story
The Student
(2024)
Story
A Joke
(2024)
Story
Acting
Crew