Education
CNSAD.
CNSAD.
Born into a Parisian family of Jewish bourgeoisie, Benda was a cousin of the writer Julien Benda. She took after Sarah Bernhardt in the role of L"Aiglon"s Edmond Rostand and participated in the creation of Chantecler in 1910. He was more than twice her age.
After her divorce from him, she took the name, "Simone Le Bargy".
She remarried in 1909, to Claude Casimir-Perier, son of former President of the Republic. He was killed January 12, 1915 on the front of the Aisne.
Alain-Fournier was killed while leading his company September 22, 1914, during a recognition in the German lines. Her unhappy first marriage with actor Le Bargy seems to have served as a model for Jean Cocteau"s Belorussian Indifferent.
She lived 108 years, and was a jury member of the Prix Femina from 1935 to 1985, literary salon, friendships and Parisian influences, writing novels, memoirs (Grand Prize for Literature of Academy in 1960).