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
Dark Eyes
(1987)
Short Story
Black Sabbath
(1963)
Novel
The Seagull
(2018)
Theatre Play
Summer Storm
(1944)
Novel
Full Filmography
Writing
Romance with a Double Bass
(1911)
Story
The Country Man, or The Involuntary Tragedian
(1911)
Original Story
Long Live... Mice
(1916)
Story
Tsvety zapozdalye
(1917)
Story
Superfluous People
(1926)
Story
Kashtanka
(1926)
Writer
Ranks and People
(1929)
Story
The Bear
(1938)
Theatre Play
The Bear
(1938)
Writer
Surgery
(1939)
Novel
Man in a Shell
(1939)
Writer
Wedding
(1944)
Writer
Summer Storm
(1944)
Novel
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 Anna Cross
(1954)
Writer
Il matrimonio
(1954)
Theatre Play and Author
The Safety Match
(1954)
Story
The Grasshopper
(1955)
Story
The Bride
(1956)
Novel
Medvěd
(1956)
Theatre Play
The Lottery Ticket
(1956)
Short Story
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
Либерал
(1959)
Story
Lady with the Dog
(1960)
Novel
Proizvedenie iskusstva
(1960)
Writer
Егерь
(1960)
Story
Vanka
(1960)
Story
Drama
(1960)
Story
Podzimní slunce
(1960)
Theatre Play and Short Story
Mest
(1960)
Novel
Les trois soeurs
(1960)
Writer
The Wedding
(1961)
Writer
The House with the Mezzanine
(1961)
Writer
Duel
(1961)
Writer
Námluvy
(1961)
Novel
Враги
(1961)
Story
Пёстрые рассказы
(1961)
Story
Medvěd
(1961)
Theatre Play
The Steppe
(1962)
Novel
The Cherry Orchard
(1962)
Theatre Play
Uncle Vanya
(1963)
Screenplay
Tears the World Can't See
(1963)
Short Story
Der jähzornige junge Mann
(1963)
Theatre Play
Starostlivý otec
(1963)
Short Story
Black Sabbath
(1963)
Novel
Аптекарша
(1964)
Book
The Seagull
(1964)
Novel
Ivanov
(1964)
Theatre Play
Tři sestry
(1964)
Theatre Play
The Teacher of Literature
(1965)
Story
In the Town of S.
(1966)
Story
Deary
(1966)
Novel
The Three Sisters
(1966)
Author
Лебединая песня
(1966)
Story
Labutí píseň
(1966)
Theatre Play
Labutí píseň
(1966)
Theatre Play
Опекун
(1967)
Story
Navštívenka
(1967)
Short Story
Zločin a trik I.
(1967)
Short Story
Na zapřenou
(1967)
Short Story
Gooseberry
(1967)
Story
Eccentrics
(1967)
Story
The Sea Gull
(1968)
Theatre Play
Суд
(1968)
Story
Román o base
(1968)
Short Story
If Only the Trains Came
(1968)
Writer
An Event
(1969)
Story
Belated Flowers
(1969)
Writer
Главный свидетель
(1969)
Short Story
Exam for Rank
(1969)
Story
Bahno
(1969)
Short Story
Chameleón
(1969)
Short Story
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Writer
The Three Sisters
(1970)
Writer
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Novel
Family Happiness
(1970)
Writer
Drama on the Hunt
(1970)
Novel
Belated Flowers
(1970)
Novel
Uncle Vanya
(1970)
Writer
Three Sisters
(1970)
Theatre Play
Körsbärsträdgården
(1970)
Theatre Play
Svadba
(1970)
Theatre Play
Ujo Váňa
(1970)
Theatre Play
Platonov
(1971)
Writer
The Roundabout
(1971)
Short Story
Švédska zápalka
(1971)
Book
Platonov
(1971)
Theatre Play
The Cherry Orchard
(1971)
Writer
Jubileum
(1971)
Theatre Play
Zlodeji
(1971)
Short Story
The Seagull
(1972)
Theatre Play
These Different, Different, Different Faces
(1972)
Story
Rain
(1972)
Story
Моя жизнь
(1972)
Story
Romance with a Double Bass
(1972)
Writer
Jeden ze soubojů
(1972)
Short Story
Prelietavka
(1972)
Short Story
The Duel
(1973)
Novel and Writer
Mamad
(1973)
Writer
A Misfortune
(1973)
Story
Ward Six
(1973)
Novel
Nepriatelia
(1973)
Short Story
An Artist's Story
(1974)
Writer
Romance with a Double Bass
(1974)
Short Story
Les Trois Sœurs
(1974)
Writer
The Wood Demon
(1974)
Theatre Play
Kashtanka
(1975)
Writer
The Seagull
(1975)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(1976)
Writer
Kaštanka
(1976)
Original Story
Racek
(1976)
Theatre Play
Funny People!
(1977)
Story
An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano
(1977)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(1977)
Novel
Dead End
(1977)
Novel
Chekhov's Pages
(1977)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(1978)
Writer
My Tender and Affectionate Beast
(1978)
Novel
Il prigioniero
(1978)
Novel
Ward Six
(1978)
Story
Soft-Boiled Boots
(1978)
Writer
The Steppe
(1978)
Writer
The Good Doctor
(1978)
Writer
Хористка
(1978)
Story
Višňový sad
(1978)
Theatre Play
Labutí píseň
(1979)
Theatre Play
Story of an Unknown Man
(1980)
Story
Three Years
(1980)
Story
Vanka Zhukov
(1981)
Story
The Cherry Orchard
(1981)
Theatre Play
The Three Sisters
(1981)
Writer
Anyuta
(1982)
Writer
La Cerisaie
(1982)
Theatre Play and Writer
Dve duše
(1982)
Short Story
Obyčajný príbeh
(1982)
Short Story
The Kiss
(1983)
Writer
An Uneventful Story
(1983)
Short Story
Fish Day
(1983)
Story
Koe-chto iz Gubernskoy Zhizni
(1983)
Short Story
The Man In The Case
(1983)
Short Story
Švédská zápalka
(1983)
Short Story
Courtship
(1983)
Theatre Play
Incredible Bet, or True Event That Ended Happily Hundred Years Ago
(1984)
Short Story
The Bear
(1984)
Story
Three Sisters
(1984)
Story
Björnen
(1984)
Writer
Из жизни земского врача
(1984)
Writer
Big Volodya, Small Volodya
(1985)
Story
Rozprávanie pani N.N.
(1985)
Book
Ростислав Плятт читает Чехова
(1986)
Story
The Witch
(1986)
Novel
Dark Eyes
(1987)
Short Story
Hôtel de France
(1987)
Author
The Black Monk
(1988)
Story
The Death of a Government Clerk
(1988)
Short Story
Love and Fear
(1988)
Theatre Play
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
Vanya on 42nd Street
(1994)
Theatre Play and Screenplay
Onkel Vanja
(1994)
Theatre Play
Country Life
(1994)
Author
Three Sisters
(1994)
Theatre Play
A Golden Ring, a Bouquet of Scarlet Roses
(1994)
Short Story
Frieriet
(1995)
Theatre Play
August
(1996)
Theatre Play
Racek
(1997)
Theatre Play
The Cherry Orchard
(1997)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(1999)
Writer
From Every Man I Loved
(1999)
Short Story
Agáta
(1999)
Short Story
Nina
(2000)
Writer
Lover's Prayer
(2001)
Novel
Chekhovian Motifs
(2002)
Writer
Upheaval
(2002)
Story
Three Sisters
(2003)
Writer
About Love
(2004)
Novel
Ragin
(2004)
Novel
Fear
(2004)
Story
The Sisters
(2005)
Original Story
About Love
(2006)
Writer
Digital Sam in Sam Saek 2006: Talk to Her
(2006)
Short Story
Seagull
(2007)
Original Story
Afternoon
(2007)
Original Story
Uncle Vanya
(2007)
Original Story
The Orchard
(2008)
Novel
Ward No. 6
(2009)
Novel
Ivanov
(2009)
Novel
Backstage Story
(2009)
Writer
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
(2010)
Novel
National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard
(2011)
Original Story
The Little Theater
(2011)
Writer
Hollywood Seagull
(2013)
Theatre Play
Ottaal
(2014)
Author
It Can Pass Through the Wall
(2014)
Short Story
Days and Nights
(2014)
Story
Three Sisters
(2015)
Writer
Platonow
(2015)
Screenplay
Le Rustre et le Juge
(2015)
Short Story
Agafia
(2015)
Short Story
Joker
(2017)
Novel
Three Sisters
(2017)
Theatre Play
The Seagull
(2017)
Author
The Seagull
(2018)
Theatre Play
Onkel Wanja
(2019)
Writer
Uncle Vanya
(2019)
Writer
National Theatre Live: Three Sisters
(2019)
Writer
To Stumble
(2019)
Book
Cherry Orchard
(2019)
Book
The Cherry Orchard
(2020)
Writer
The Vanishing Field
(2020)
Writer
Wrecker
(2020)
Writer
Uncle Vanya
(2020)
Writer
Sonata
(2021)
Writer
Crise de nerfs
(2021)
Author
The seagull - the movie
(2022)
Writer
The Cherry Orchard
(2022)
Writer
National Theatre Live: The Seagull
(2022)
Writer
The Seagull
(2023)
Original Story
The Student
(2024)
Story
Acting
Crew