Sarah Duhamel Explained

Marie Marguerite Sarah Duhamel (March 21, 1873 – April 15, 1926) was a French stage and film comedienne.

Career

Duhamel was the daughter of an operetta singer and appeared on stage at a very young age. In 1893 she made her debut as a singer with the play Eldorado,[1] and consequently went on a two-year tour through Italy and the South of France. From 1895 on she worked at various revues in Paris. In 1910 she met the film director Romeo Bosetti who worked for Pathé Comica in Nice. She made several short comedy films with Bosetti, her character was called ‘Rosalie’ (in the English-speaking countries ‘Jane’).[2] Later she started working for the company Eclair (La Société française des films et cinématographiques Eclair) where her character was called Pétronille. She was also cast to star with Maurice Schwartz in the Little Moritz series, and with Lucien Bataille in his Casimir comedies.[3]

Duhamel’s partnership with Bosetti lasted until 1916, when he stopped filmmaking due to his injuries suffered during the WWI. After the World War I, Duhamel's career became less successful, though she continued to work on stage and for films.

Private life

In 1915 Duhamel married Édouard Louis Schmitt (1884-1972), a fellow stage actor better known as Darmaine or Darmène. Duhamel’s older sister Louise Jeanne Bibiane Duhamel (1870-1910) was also famous as an operetta singer.

Filmography

As Rosalie

As Pétronille

Other films

Stage work

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1893-02-24. Gil Blas / dir. A. Dumont. 2020-06-04. Gallica. EN.
  2. Book: Hennefeld, Maggie. Specters of slapstick & silent film comediennes. 27 March 2018. 978-0-231-54706-2. New York. 1028523817.
  3. Book: Massa, Steve. Slapstick divas : the women of silent comedy. 2017. 978-1-62933-133-1. Albany, Georgia. 987347478.
  4. Web site: Filmgeschiedenis » Rosalie et son phonographe (1911). 2020-06-04. en-US.