Sarah Bernhardt (born Sara-Marie-Henriette Bernard, 1844-1923) is the most famous French actress of the late nineteenth century. Celebrated for her golden voice and for the sinuous flow of her slender figure on stage, she was also a theatre manager, author, sculptor, painter, and a clever businesswoman. She developed and nurtured global fame in an era when the popular press facilitated international renown. Print media as well as the emerging phonograph and film industries enabled Bernhardt to cultivate and develop her celebrity into the early twentieth century, appealing to new publics and audiences. During the First World War she became a French porte-parole for the Allied cause, appearing on stage and in a propaganda film, as w…
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Citation: Duckett, Victoria. "Sarah Bernhardt". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 August 2016 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=391, accessed 23 November 2024.]
