Sardou, Victorien (1831-1908), was one of the most successful French playwrights of his time. He was equally skilled at light comedy (A Scrap of Paper, 1860), melodrama (La Tosca, 1887), and historical drama (Madame Sans-Gene, 1893).
Sardou’s works are examples of the well-made play, which was carefully constructed on a formula that kept the plot clear and well-paced but lacked any great depth of meaning. Many of Sardou’s plays were written for the French actress Sarah Bernhardt.
Sardou was born on Sept. 7, 1831, in Paris. He died on Nov. 8, 1908.
