Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress, and has often been called "the most famous actress in the history of the world". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of Europe in the 1870s, and was soon working in Europe and the United States. She developed a reputation as a serious actress, getting the nickname "The Divine Sarah."

Early life 
She was born in Paris as Marie Henriette Bernardt, the daughter of Julie Bernardt and a Dutch father. She added the letter "H" to her first and last name, and used the name of Edouard Bernardt, her mother's brother, as the name of her father. This was probably done to hide the fact that her father was unknown.

Career 
Bernhardt's career started in 1862, when she was a student at the Comédie-Française. She was not very successful there, and left to become a courtesan by 1865. She became famous in Europe in the 1870s, and was soon in demand all over Europe and in New York. She may have been the most famous actress of the 19th century. She coached many young women in the art of acting, including Liane de Pougy.

Late career 

In 1905, while performing in Rio de Janeiro, Bernhardt hurt her right knee during the final scene when she jumped from a high wall. The leg never healed properly, showing signs of bruising. By 1915, gangrene had set in and her entire right leg was amputated, meaning she was in a wheelchair for several months. Nonetheless, she continued her career. She carried out a successful tour of America in 1915, and died on returning to France. On 26 March 1923, Bernhardt died of uremia following kidney failure. She is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. 

Sarah Bernhardt has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street.

Books 
 Dans les Nuages, Impressions d'une Chaise Charpentier (1878)
 L'Aveu, drame en un acte en prose (1888)
 Adrienne Lecouvreur, drame en six actes (1907)
 Ma Double Vie (1907), &  as My Double Life:Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt, (1907) William Heinemann
 Un Coeur d'Homme, pièce en quatre actes (1911)
 Petite Idole (1920; as The Idol of Paris, 1921)
 L'Art du Théâtre: la voix, le geste, la prononciation, etc. (1923; as The art of the Theatre, 1924)
 Sarah Bernhardt My Grandmother (1940)

Roles 

 1862: Racine's Iphigénie in the title rôle, her debut.
 1862: Eugène Scribe's Valérie
 1862: Molière's Les Femmes Savantes
 1864: Labiche & Deslandes, Un Mari qui Lance sa Femme
 1866: T & H Cognard's La Biche aux Bois
 1866: Racine's Phèdre (as Aricie)
 1866: Pierre de Marivaux's Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard (as Silvia)
 1867: Molière's Les Femmes Savantes (as Armande)
 1867: George Sand's Le Marquis de Villemer
 1867: Georges Sand's "François le Champi" (as Mariette)
 1868: Dumas père Kean (as Anna Damby)
 1869: Coppée's La Passant, as a male troubador (Zanetto); her first major stage success
 1870: George Sand's L'Autre
 1871: Theuriet's Jeanne-Marie
 1871: Coppée's Fais ce que Dois
 1871: Foussier and Edmond La Baronne
 1872: Bouilhet's Mademoiselle Aïssé
 1872: Hugo's Ruy Blas (as Doña Maira de Neubourg, Queen of Spain)
 1872: Dumas père Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle (as Gabrielle)
 1872: Racine's Britannicus (as Junie)
 1872: Beaumarchais's Le Mariage de Figaro
 1872: Sandeau's Mademoiselle de la Seiglière
 1873: Feuillet's Dalila (as Princess Falconieri)
 1873: Ferrier's Chez l'Avocat
 1873: Racine's Andromaque
 1873: Racine's Phèdre (as Aricie)
 1873: Feuillet's Le Sphinx
 1874: Voltaire's Zaire
 1874: Racine's Phèdre (as Phèdre)
 1875: Bornier's La Fille de Roland
 Dumas fils' L'Étrangère (as Mrs. Clarkson)
 Parodi's Rome Vaincue
 1877: Hugo's Hernani (as Doña Sol)
 1879: Racine's Phèdre (as Phèdre)
 1880: Émile Augier's L'Aventurière
 1880: Legouvé & Scribe's Adrienne Lecouvreur
 1880: Meilhac & Halévy's Froufrou
 1880: Dumas fils' La Dame aux Camélias (as Maguerite)
 1882: Sardou's Fédora
 Sardou's Théodora (as Theodora, Empress of Byzantium)
 1887 : La Tosca de Victorien Sardou
 Dumas fils' La Princesse Georges
 1890: Sardou's Cléopâtre, as Cleopatra
 1893: Lemaître's Les Rois
 1894: Sardou's Gismonda
 1895: Molière's Amphytrion
 1895: Magda(translation of Sudermann's Heimat)
 1896: La Dame aux Camélias
 1896: Musset's Lorenzaccio (as Lorenzino de' Medici)
 1897: Sardou's Spiritisme
 1897: Rostand's La Samaritaine
 1898: Catulle Mendès Medée
 1898: La Dame aux Camélias (as Marguerite Gautier)
 Barbier's Jeanne d'Arc (as Joan of Arc)
 Morand & Sylvestre's Izéïl (as Izéïl)
 Shakespeare's King Lear (as Cordelia)
 1899: Shakespeare's Hamlet (as Hamlet)
 Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (as Cleopatra)
 Shakespeare's Macbeth (as Lady Macbeth) (in French)
 Richepin's Pierrot Assassin (as Pierrot)
 1900: Rostand's L'Aiglon as L'Aiglon
 1903: Sardou's La Sorcière
 1904: Maeterlinck's Pelléas et Mélisande (as Pelléas)
 1906: Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea
 1906: Mendès' La Vierge d'Avila (as Saint Theresa)
 1911: Moreau's Queen Elizabeth (as Queen Elizabeth)
 1913: Bernard's Jeanne Doré (as Jeanne Doré)

References

Other websites 

 The Sarah Bernhardt Pages
 
 
 

1844 births
1923 deaths
Deaths from uremia
Actors from Paris
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Deaths from renal failure
Disease-related deaths in France
French autobiographers
French stage actors