| Birth: | Oct. 22, 1844 | | Death: | Mar. 26, 1923 | 
French classical actress of the old school; in her time arguably the most famous actress in the world. She was born in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan known as Youle and (allegedly) a lawyer named Edouard Bernard. Educated in convent schools, and sickly through most of her childhood, she considered becoming a nun. She changed her mind after being taken to see a production at the Comédie Française, the French national theatre. She studied for two years the Conservatoire de Musique et Déclamation, and made her debut in 1862 at the Comédie Française in Racine’s “Iphigénie.” Her reputation for being difficult began at the same time – she was immediately fired for fighting with another actress backstage. She spent the next several years honing her craft in lighter fare, but in 1868 triumphed in Dumas’ “Kean” at the Paris Odeon. By now she had hundreds of admirers among students and artists, and lovers among the nobility. Her parties drew such notables as the Prince of Wales and Oscar Wilde; Wilde wrote his version of “Salomé” in French specifically for her. It was about this time that she began being referred to as “The Divine Sarah.” She was re-instated at the Comédie Française, and in 1874 she gave what contemporaries considered her greatest performance in Racine’s “Phèdre.” Another of her signature roles was as the doomed courtesan Marguerite Gautier in Dumas’ “La Dame aux Camélias” (a.k.a. “Camille”). She even played men in “Hamlet” and Rostand's “L'Aiglon.” Bernhardt was also a pioneer cinema actress, making two autobiographical and eight story films, the best known being "Elisabeth Reine d'Angleterre" ("Queen Elizabeth"). An decade-old injury forced the amputation of a leg in 1915, but after a few months in a wheelchair she resumed her career using a prosthetic limb. Sarah Bernhardt was made a member of France's Legion of Honor in 1914, and among her many other honors is a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (bio by: Paul F. Wilson)
Cause of death: Uremia following kidney failure
Search Amazon for Sarah Bernhardt | | | Burial:
Cimetière du Père Lachaise
Paris
Ile-de-France Region, France
Plot: Division 44, #6
GPS (lat/lon): 48.8611908, 2.3948901 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 1333 |
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