Marguerite J. Georges
French Actress
1787 – 1867 A.D.

Marguerite Josephine Georges, a French actress. Some juvenile performances of hers at Amiens attracted the notice of actress Rancourt, by whose influence she was brought to Paris and educated.

Her imposing beauty and powerful acting produced a great sensation at her first appearance as Clytmnestra, and led to successful engagements in other European cities..

In Russia the Emperor Alexander I became so infatuated with her that he would not consent to returning her to France, but later Napoleon, one of her warmest admirers, procured her re-appearance at the Théâtre Français, where Talma imparted great finish to her style.

From 1821 to 1847 she was connected with the Odêon and the Port St. Martin theatres, sustaining her reputation as an impassioned and majestic tragedian, in such rôles as Semiramis, Agrippina, Lucrezia, Borgia, and Catherine de Medici.

She received costly presents from emperors and princes, and from a host of other admirers; yet on retiring from the stage her poverty impelled her to become a teacher at the conservatory.

~*~

Reference: Famous Women; An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women By Joseph Adelman. Copyright, 1926 by Ellis M. Lonow Company.