Who is this lady?

[Eva Elisabeth]

DIVINE, Betty!!! Kudos!!!

During Mary's journey back to the USA from her second trip to Europe aboard the steamer "L'Amerique", Sarah Bernardt saved Mary from falling headfirst down a stairway. "You might have been killed, Madame," Bernhardt said. Mary replied: "Yes, but it was not God's will." Bernhardt later remarked: "I had just done this unhappy woman the only service I ought not to habe done her - I saved her from death." Mary disembarked almost unnoticed when huge crowds met Bernhardt on the docks upon the ship's arrival in NY.

Now, why was Sarah Bernardt divine? Here's a summary of the most interesting (IMO, and not all to find on wiki), for more info, also on her private life, please go here: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt

Sarah Bernardt (1844 -1923) was a French stage and early film actress, and had also studied painting and sculpture. She started her stage career in 1862, and by the 1870s was in demand all over Europe and in America. She developed a reputation as a serious dramatic actress, earning the nickname "The Divine Sarah", and was referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known." She often slept in her famous coffin in lieu of a bed – claiming that doing so helped her understand her many tragic roles.This is she as Hamlet:
   
With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war performances were stopped and Sarah converted the theatre into a makeshift hospital where she took care of the soldiers wounded on the battlefield.

In 1905, while performing in Victorien Sardou's "La Tosca" in Teatro Lírico do Rio de Janeiro, Bernhardt injured her right knee when jumping off the parapet in the final scene. The leg never healed properly. By 1915, gangrene had set in and her entire right leg was amputated. She refused a $10,000 offer to display her amputated leg as a medical curiosity. She continued her career, often without using her wooden prosthetic limb. Despite limited mobility on the stage, the charm of her voice ensured her triumphs.

Sarah Bernardt has a star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame", and the 1982 "Lucky Luke" vol.#49 was dedicated to her:
   
The "role of her life" was "La Dame aux camélias", in which she had performed over and over on stage as well as in a 1911 silent movie. This is Alfons Maria Muchas' famous1896 Art Nouveau graphic advertisement for "La Dame aux camélias":
   
Betty, you win tickets for one of my favorite versions of "La Dame aux camélias", the ballet with music by Chopin:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5YfoltRyOWg
...or Verdi's "La Traviata" - yes, same story, and beautiful music!!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9esmiUsChGE