The tragedienne who attracted huge audiences…
No one played tragedy with such believable intensity as Sarah Bernhardt, and no one brought as much passion and enthusiasm to the pursuit of pleasure. From fishing on the southern California coast to bear hunting in the woods outside Seattle, on every western tour the French actress indulged in some kind of adventure. Sarah Bernhardt threw herself into life with the same characteristic energy she put into her stage appearance. Yet she often slept in a coffin, preparing for that final sleep.
She was born in Paris, France, on October 23, 1844. Named Henriette-Rosine Bernard, she was a thin, sickly child, alternately deeply depressed or shouting for joy. At the age of eight, seeing her aunt’s carriage stopped in the street near the house where her mother had left her for months, and being forbidden to leave by her caretakers, she forced open a second-floor window and jumped out in front of the carriage. Although the fall resulted in a dislocated shoulder and shattered kneecaps, her aunt was compelled to pay attention to the child’s hysterical pleadings to be taken away.
Sarah’s mother and her aunt sent her to school, and later, she was trained in dramatic arts and began her career at the Comedic Francaise. Eventually Sarah performed throughout Europe and in 1880 toured the United States. She was a huge success in major cities like Salt Lake, Denver and San Francisco. Audiences flocked to see Sarah perform. She was known across the West as “The Divine Sarah.”
Sarah Bernhardt died on March 26, 1923. She was buried in a rosewood coffin her mother purchased for her at her insistence when she was but fifteen years old.
