01/16/2026
Meet Sarah Bernhardt, aka The Diva.
The most famous actress in the world at the turn of the century, she was a master of spectacle, onstage and off. She played queens, courtesans, and even Hamlet, redefining what it meant to be a woman onstage and in the world. A global celebrity before the word existed, Bernhardt didn’t just perform drama, she was the drama. She even kept a pet alligator named Ali-Gaga, who reportedly survived on a steady diet of champagne and milk. And she’s a key figure in Miss Hysteria because she reportedly visited the Salpêtrière to observe Charcot’s hysteria demonstrations to prepare for her role as Ophelia. And maybe, just maybe, she and Louise crossed paths.
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