Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923) was acclaimed as the greatest actor of her generation and had roles created for her by some of the finest writers of her age. Born in Paris, the daughter of a courtesan, she was accepted into the Comédie Française in 1862 with the assistance of one of her mother’s influential lovers. She joined the Théâtre de l’Odéon in 1866, thereafter establishing her reputation with a succession of roles. By the end of the decade she formed her own venture following a sensational season in London in 1879. Reviving heroines such as Marguerite in La Dame aux Camélias, 'The Divine Sarah', who always performed in French, became known as much for the extravagant passion of her performances as for the colourful, somewhat scandalous nature of her private life. A global superstar, she ultimately performed at least 70 roles in about 125 productions, appearing in countless countries, even Cuba and Samoa, and touring the USA alone nine times. During a tour of Australia in 1891 Bernhardt acted in a total of twelve plays to rave reviews. Returning to France in 1893, she managed the Théâtre de la Renaissance and the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt. Her late career included productions wherein she took on male roles and forays into silent film, sound recording and writing. She was created a chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1914. Despite suffering an injury that eventually resulted in the amputation of her right leg, she continued to perform at home and abroad, giving her last performance only a few months before her death.
