num_pages: 136
description: A biography of the French actress, Sarah Bernhardt.Sarah Bernhardt, the Divine Sarah, was one of history's greatest dramatic actors. For decades she dazzled critics and reduced audiences to tears with her bell-like voice, her consummate grace, and her deep sensitivity to tragedy. Long before the celebrities of today, she was mobbed by frenzied fans. Long before the divas of today, she was studied, satirized, criticized, and worshipped.As charismatic off the stage as on, Bernhardt was notorious throughout the world for fifty years. She embellished the many stories, true and false, that were told of her eccentric behavior, though most required no embellishment. She worked long hours to perfect every performance, and she agreed to backbreaking tour schedules on multiple continents, even after the amputation of her leg.It was during her difficult childhood that Bernhardt adopted the French phrase "quand même" as her personal motto--"despite it all"--and, despite it all, she owned the nineteenth-century stage.
language: English
title: Sarah Bernhardt
titlecomplete: Sarah Bernhardt
characters: Sarah Bernhardt
ratings_count: 3
series: Women in the Arts
publisher: Chelsea House Publishers