Michael Chekhov was born in 1891, nephew of the great playwright Anton Chekhov. As a young man he attended the Moscow Art Theatre and studied with Stanislavsky who considered the young Chekhov to be his most gifted and promising student. He quickly became Russia's greatest acting sensation and inspired audiences much as rock stars do today in modern times. In fact, Misha's performance of 'Hamlet' was so riveting and electrifying he was accused of sorcery and had to flee Russia for his life in 1917! He continued acting in theatre and films during the 1920s and 1930s in Europe. In 1939 he moved to England and established an acting ensemble and began teaching his acting technique to others for the first time. In the 1940s and 1950s he came to the U.S. where he continued acting and teaching and directing. He was nominated for a best actor for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound". His ideas were later coaxed out of him onto the page when he wrote "To the Actor-On the Technique of Acting" in 1953 shortly before his death in 1955. His influence on some of Hollywoods biggest stars, such as Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, and Gregory Peck, among many others, remains a well kept secret from the general public to this day. A true visionary who was beyond his time and remains one of the greatest actors of all time.
