Trailblazing Actor Remembered in EU Paper

She was loved by gay raconteur and trailblazer Oscar Wilde. She had a string of famous male lovers and couldn't give two hoots for the moralistic conventions of either the early feminist movement or the male chauvinist establishment of her day. A famous actor who was praised by Mark Twain and one of the first people ever to be filmed in a theatrical role. She was Sarah Bernhardt, who lived from 1844 to 1923 and who was featured recently in the “Great Europeans” page of the pro-remain newspaper, The New European. The paper profiles her life and times and notes that despite criticism from many people who objected to her lower class origins, she was possibly the world's first theatrical superstar, paving the way for later legends of the silver screen. Sarah Bernhardt was born to a coutesan from the Netherlands who settled in Paris and throughout her life, Sarah ignored the conventions of the industry in which she excelled – acting. Her personal life was documented by the various popular newspapers of the day, and critics howled in derision. To which her response was always “So What?”. A true icon of early women's liberation and sexual freedom.