Bernhardt, Sarah
(1844–1923)
Bernhardt, Sarah (22 Oct 1844–26 Mar 1923) French actress; of interest to recorded sound because she made a number of early cylinders and discs. In early 1896 she inscribed monologs by Eugene Sylvestre and Victor Hugo for Bettini (no copies extant). In 1900, at the Phono-Cinéma-Théatre Exposition in Paris, she did a scene from Hamlet and some readings from French authors in the earliest talking motion picture. Later, from 1902 to 1918, she recorded for Pathé, HMV, Zonophone, Edison, and…