The Divine Sarah Berhnardt

1844 Sarah Bernhardt (d. March 26, 1923), French stage actress, 'The Divine Sarah'.

She was the eldest surviving illegitimate daughter of Judith van Hard, a Dutch Jewish courtesan known as ‘Youle’. Born in Paris as Henriette Rosine Bernard, after a successful acting career in France she came to London in 1876 where she quickly established herself as the leading actress of the day.

On July 28, 1891, she began her season at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia. Seats sold for up to 2 pounds each, and she stayed on the second floor of the Australia Hotel with a menagerie.

In 1892 she asked Oscar Wilde to write her a play, which resulted in Salomé. However, the Lord Chamberlain had the play banned ...

Tagged: sarah+bernhardt, theatre, theater, cinema, movie, history, actress, actresses, france