Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt ( 22 or 23 October 1844 - 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th century, including La Dame Aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo, Fédora and La Tosca by Victorien Sardou, and L'Aiglon by Edmond Rostand. She also played male roles, including Shakespeare's Hamlet. Edmond Rostand called her "the queen of the pose and the princess of the gesture" while Victor Hugo praised her "golden voice". Her death scenes in the final acts of her main roles often moved the audiences to tears. She made successful theatrical tours around the world, and was one of the first prominent actresses to make sound recordings and to act in motion pictures.