Sarah+Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt was born as Rosine Bernardt in Paris on October 22, 1844. Growing up, Bernhardt’s mother was a courtesan in Paris and her father was unknown. Bernhardt’s birth records were lost in a fire in 1871. To prove she was a French citizen, Bernhardt faked her certificates and added a “h” to her last name. Also on these records, she stated she was the daughter of, "Judith van Hard" and "Édouard Bernardt". Bernhardt became a student of the Comédie-Française, one of the state theaters in France. There, she made her acting debut at the age of eighteen, on August 11, 1862.

After working in Comédie-Française, Bernhardt decided to leave France and ended up in Belgium. In Belgium, she became the mistress of Prince of Ligne and gave birth to their son in 1864. After their son’s birth he proposed marriage, but Bernhardt refused as his family forbid it. Soon after Bernhardt moved back to Paris, she became a courtesan like her mother. In 1866, Bernhardt made a contract with the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe and began performing on the stage again. From then on, Bernhardt was a French Stage actress and an early film actress. She officially began acting in 1870 and was soon wanted in many roles in Europe and the Americas.

While working with the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, she made her breakout performance in 1869 in François Coppé's Le Passant. In 1872, Bernhardt went back to the Comédie-Française and had many successful roles. One of her most famous roles, was in the starring role in Voltaire’s Zaïre. In the 1870’s, she was one of the most famous stage actresses and was wanted all over Europe. During this time, Bernhardt took many world tours, starting in the United States and Canada. From there, she toured in South America and Cuba, then to Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Sweden, Norway and Russia. In the 1890’s, Bernhardt took a worldwide tour that included much of Europe, Russia, North & South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Samoa. She worked in Théâtre de la Renaissance, where she worked as a producer and became a coach for many young woman pursuing the field of acting. Bernhardt ran the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt until her death in 1924 when her son, Maurice, ran it in her place.

Today. Bernhardt is regarded as one of the finest actresses of all time, and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also, Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt is still standing under the new name of Théâtre de la Ville. During her career, Bernhardt was a mentor to many young women who wanted to pursue careers in entertainment. Bernhardt was able to make a lasting impression in gender roles in acting as the first woman to play the lead role in Shakespeare's play Hamlet.