Sarah Bernhardt

Lore & Background

Henriette-Rosine Bernard was born at 5 rue de L'École-de-Médecine in the Latin Quarter of Paris on 22 October 1844. She was the daughter of Judith Bernard, a Dutch Jewish courtesan. Her father's name was not recorded for a long time but is known now to have been an attorney in Le Havre. Her father's family paid for her education, insisted she be baptized as a Catholic, and left a large sum to be paid when she came of age. Her mother traveled frequently and saw little of her daughter, placing her with a nurse in Brittany and then in a cottage in Neuilly-sur-Seine. At age seven, Bernhardt was sent to a boarding school in Auteuil, where she acted in her first theatrical performance, playing the Queen of the Fairies in Clothilde. At age ten, with the sponsorship of Charles de Morny, she was admitted to the Grandchamp convent school near Versailles, where she performed as the Archangel Raphael. She received her first communion as a Roman Catholic in 1856 but also acknowledged her Jewish heritage. When asked if she were a Christian, she replied: 'No, I'm a Roman Catholic and a member of the great Jewish race. I'm waiting until Christians become better.'

Reader's Guide

Sarah Bernhardt's significance lies in her international fame and her pioneering work in multiple media. She made several theatrical tours worldwide and was among the first prominent actresses to make sound recordings and act in motion pictures, expanding the reach of theatrical performance. At the height of her fame, she commissioned the first lithographic theater poster from the then-unknown artist Alphonse Mucha for the play Gismonda, which launched Mucha's career in Art Nouveau. Her legacy includes her influence on acting style, her role in popularizing French drama globally, and her contributions to the visual arts as a painter and sculptor. Her career spanned over six decades, and she remains a symbol of the theatrical golden age of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Did You Know?

• She played both female and male roles, including Shakespeare's Hamlet.
• She was one of the early prominent actresses to make sound recordings and act in motion pictures.
• She commissioned the first lithographic theater poster from the then-unknown artist Alphonse Mucha for the play Gismonda.
• When asked if she were a Christian, she replied: 'No, I'm a Roman Catholic and a member of the great Jewish race. I'm waiting until Christians become better.'

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Bernhardt's motto, a versatile french phrase meaning "anyway, nevertheless; really; how about that; finally" — Sarah Bernhardt "Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." — Sarah Bernhardt "Acting is all internal, but must be externalized." — Sarah Bernhardt "Chicago people are very fond of Madame Bernhardt. They want her to get a divorce and settle down with them." — Sarah Bernhardt