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Sarah Bernhardt was a famous French actress and courtesan of the late 19th century, known for her eccentric habits and love of exotic animals. She was involved with prominent men, married and had a son. She starred in silent films and lost her leg in an accident but continued to act until her death in 1923.
Sarah Bernhardt was a French actress of the late 19th century. Nicknamed “The Divine Sarah”, she was feted throughout Europe and the United States. Sarah Bernhardt was one of the most famous actresses of her time, loved by playwrights and spectators.
Sarah Bernhardt was born Henriette Rosine Bernard in Paris on October 23, 1844, the illegitimate daughter of a Jewish courtesan of Dutch origin. Sarah Bernhardt later became a courtesan herself, as well as an actress, and studied her craft at the Comedie Francaise. In the 1870s, Bernhardt developed her stage career and was soon in demand throughout Europe and the United States.
Sarah Bernhardt was known for her eccentric habits. She kept a menagerie of exotic animals, including leopards and alligators, and allegedly slept in a coffin lined with love letters she’d received. In addition to acting, she has coached younger actresses, written her own books and plays, sculpted, painted and modeled for the artist Antonio de La Gandara. She served as an inspiration for the Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha. She has also produced vocal recordings of some of her most famous roles, including Racine’s Phaedre.
As a courtesan, Sarah Bernhardt was involved with a number of prominent men, including the artist Gustave Dore and King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. She married the Greek actor Aristides Damala in 1882, but his morphine addiction soon destroyed the marriage and she died in 1889. Before the marriage, Sarah Bernhardt had a son, Maurice, in 1864.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Sarah Bernhardt starred in ten silent films, including two biopics. In her first film, released in her 20th, she played Hamlet and recorded an accompanying sound reel. In 1900 she was accepted into the French Legion of Honor.
Sarah Bernhardt lost her right leg in an accident in 1915, but continued to act until her death, using a prosthetic limb on stage and allowing her home to be turned into a film set when a stroke left her confined to the house. Sarah Bernhardt died in her son’s arms on March 26, 1923, four days after completing her last film of hers. She is buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.
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