Lev Konstantinovich Knipper was born on December 3, 1898, in Tbilisi, Russia. He grew up in a bilingual family and spoke perfect Russian and German. His German father, named Konstantin Knipper, worked as a Railroad Engineer. Lev Knipper was the nephew of actress Olga Knipper-Chekhova, the wife of Anton Chekhov, and a junior brother of Olga ...