Sarah Bernhardt

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 Comedie-Francaise. 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 Pere 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, piece en quatre actes (1911)
Petite Idole (1920; as The Idol of Paris, 1921)
L'Art du Theatre: la voix, le geste, la prononciation, etc. (1923; as The art of the Theatre, 1924)
Sarah Bernhardt My Grandmother (1940)
Roles
1862: Racine's Iphigenie in the title role, her debut.
1862: Eugene Scribe's Valerie
1862: Moliere'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 Phedre (as Aricie)
1866: Pierre de Marivaux's Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard (as Silvia)
1867: Moliere's Les Femmes Savantes (as Armande)
1867: George Sand's Le Marquis de Villemer
1867: Georges Sand's "Francois le Champi" (as Mariette)
1868: Dumas pere Kean (as Anna Damby)
1869: Coppee'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: Coppee's Fais ce que Dois
1871: Foussier and Edmond La Baronne
1872: Bouilhet's Mademoiselle Aisse
1872: Hugo's Ruy Blas (as Dona Maira de Neubourg, Queen of Spain)
1872: Dumas pere 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 Seigliere
1873: Feuillet's Dalila (as Princess Falconieri)
1873: Ferrier's Chez l'Avocat
1873: Racine's Andromaque
1873: Racine's Phedre (as Aricie)
1873: Feuillet's Le Sphinx
1874: Voltaire's Zaire
1874: Racine's Phedre (as Phedre)
1875: Bornier's La Fille de Roland
Dumas fils' L'Etrangere (as Mrs. Clarkson)
Parodi's Rome Vaincue
1877: Hugo's Hernani (as Dona Sol)
1879: Racine's Phedre (as Phedre)
1880: Emile Augier's L'Aventuriere
1880: Legouve & Scribe's Adrienne Lecouvreur
1880: Meilhac & Halevy's Froufrou
1880: Dumas fils' La Dame aux Camelias (as Maguerite)
1882: Sardou's Fedora
Sardou's Theodora (as Theodora, Empress of Byzantium)
1887 : La Tosca de Victorien Sardou
Dumas fils' La Princesse Georges
1890: Sardou's Cleopatre, as Cleopatra
1893: Lemaitre's Les Rois
1894: Sardou's Gismonda
1895: Moliere's Amphytrion
1895: Magda(translation of Sudermann's Heimat)
1896: La Dame aux Camelias
1896: Musset's Lorenzaccio (as Lorenzino de' Medici)
1897: Sardou's Spiritisme
1897: Rostand's La Samaritaine
1898: Catulle Mendes Medee
1898: La Dame aux Camelias (as Marguerite Gautier)
Barbier's Jeanne d'Arc (as Joan of Arc)
Morand & Sylvestre's Izeil (as Izeil)
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 Sorciere
1904: Maeterlinck's Pelleas et Melisande (as Pelleas)
1906: Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea
1906: Mendes' La Vierge d'Avila (as Saint Theresa)
1911: Moreau's Queen Elizabeth (as Queen Elizabeth)
1913: Bernard's Jeanne Dore (as Jeanne Dore)
References
Other websites
The Sarah Bernhardt Pages
1844 births
1923 deaths
Deaths from uremia
Actors from Paris
Burials at Pere Lachaise Cemetery
Deaths from renal failure
Disease-related deaths in France
French autobiographers
French stage actors