Vera Tschechowa
Vera Rust (22 July 1940 – 3 April 2024), known as Vera Tschechowa, was a German producer, director, screenwriter, and actress of Russian descent. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1957 and 1996. She was widely known as Elvis Presley's companion, particularly in connection with his Oral Poliomyelitis Vaccine (OPV) public booster-advocacy and which they both undertook during Presley's first year in Germany with the U.S. Her mother, Ada Tschechowa, was the daughter of Michael Chekhov (nephew of the Russian playwright and short story writer, Anton Chekov) and Olga Chekhova.
Also recorded as Vera Wilhelmowna Rust Tschechowa
Vera Tschechowa

Jack Metzger · This image is from the collection of the ETH-Bibliothek and has been published on Wikimedia Commons as part of a cooperation with Wikimedia CH. Corrections and additional information are welcome. · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Vera Tschechowa
- Born
- 22 July 1940
- Birthplace
- Berlin, Germany
- Died
- 3 April 2024
- Occupation
- Actress, producer, director, screenwriter
- Spouse
- * Hartmut Reck (divorced)
- Full name
- Vera Wilhelmowna Rust.
- Nationality
- Nazi Germany, West Germany and Germany.
- Education
- Berlin University of the Arts.
- Honours
- German Film Award.
- Languages
- German.
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q69298 · wikipedia · Vera Tschechowa
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
Vera's name appeared, on 6 June 1971, as one of 28 women under the banner "We've had abortions!" ("Wir haben abgetrieben!") on the cover page of the West German magazine Stern. In that issue, 374 women publicly stated that they had had pregnancies terminated, which at that time was illegal. Tschechowa died in Berlin on 3 April 2024, at the age of 83.

scene from the Italian film Ballerina e Buon Dio (1958) by Antonio Leonviola
Antonio Leonviola / Enzo Serafin · Italian film Ballerina e Buon Dio

scene from the Italian film Ballerina e Buon Dio (1958) by Antonio Leonviola
Antonio Leonviola / Enzo Serafin · Italian film Ballerina e Buon Dio
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Vera Tschechowa • Born — 22 July 1940 • Birthplace — Berlin, Germany • Died — 3 April 2024 • Place of death — Berlin, Germany • Occupation — Actress, producer, director, screenwriter • Years Active — 1957–2024 • Parents — Ada Tschechowa Wilhelm Rust • Relatives — Olga Chekhova (grandmother) Michael Chekhov (grandfather) Alexander Chekhov (great-grandfather) Lev Knipper (great-uncle) Anton Chekhov (great-great uncle) Olga Knipper (great-great aunt) Marina Ried (first cousin once removed) • Spouse — * Hartmut Reck (divorced) • Peter Paschek • Children — 1 (adopted) • Illustration — Vera Tschechowa (1959)
Documentary record
Vera Tschechowa appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a film actress, actress, film director, film producer and director (22 July 1940 – 3 April 2024). Vera Tschechowa was born in Berlin (22 July 1940) and died in Berlin (3 April 2024).
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Widower with Five Daughters (1957) • The Doctor of Stalingrad (1958), as Tamara • Angel in a Taxi (1958), as Camilla • The Muzzle (1958) • The Girl with the Cat's Eyes (1958), as Katja • My Ninety Nine Brides (1958) • And That on Monday Morning (1959), as Monika • Der Schleier fiel (1960), as Lisa Roth • The Young Sinner (1960), as Carola • The Bread of Those Early Years (1962), as Ulla Wickweber • Love at Twenty (1962) • The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964), as Feder-Lissy • Call Girls of Frankfurt (1966), as Vera Paterny • Liebe und so weiter (1968), as Nina Michel • Som hon bäddar får han ligga (1970), as Kristina • The First Circle (1973), as Clara • Cold Blood (1975 film) (1975), as Corinna • Euridice BA 2037 (1975), as Eurydice • Erika's Passions (1976, TV film), as Franziska • The Rider on the White Horse (1978), as Vollina Harders • Panic Time (1980), as Frau Dr. Wunder • Desperado City (1981), as Hilke • The Confessions of Felix Krull (1982, TV miniseries), as Maria Pia • Dies rigorose Leben (1983), as Salka • Thousand Eyes (film) (1984), as Victoria • Bluebeard (1984 film) (1984, TV film), as Gisela • Tarot (1986), as Charlotte • Ein Heim für Tiere (1987–1991, TV series, 19 episodes), as Dr. Julia Gessner • The Post Office Girl (1988, TV film), as Clara van Boolen • Frei zum Abschuss (1989, TV film), as Marthe Ruben • Love at First Sight (1991 film) (1991), as Elsa's Mother
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2024
Vera Tschechowa died on 3 April 2024.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- VIAF cluster 101526963 for Vera Tschechowa, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
reference work
- “Vera Tschechowa”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q69298: Vera Tschechowa
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Vera Tschechowa, revision 1357319609 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.2024-04-04.
- 2.in Deutschland auf www.elvisforever.de; abgerufen am 12. Juni 2011
- 3.; abgerufen am 12. Juni 2011
- 4.derwesten.de vom 21. Juli 2015: Vera Tschechowa 75 – Die Frau mit den Katzenaugen, abgerufen am 22. Juli 2015
- 5.Munzinger 00000008650 Vera Tschechowa
- 6.Schauspielerin Vera Tschechowa ist tot: Ein ziemlich bewegtes Leben - WELT. 2024-04-04.
- 7.Rex Gildo – Der letzte Tanz.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
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