France: Sarah Bernhardt (1844 - 1923), portrait by Nadar (Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, 1820 - 1910), 1864

Sarah Bernhardt (23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage and early film actress. She was referred to as 'the most famous actress the world has ever known', and is regarded as one of the finest actors of all time.

Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, at the beginning of the Belle Epoque period, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas. She developed a reputation as a sublime dramatic actress and tragedienne, earning the nickname 'The Divine Sarah'. In her later career she starred in some of the earliest films ever produced.

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