Rachel

Rachel, professional name of Élisa Félix, French tragedian, the most eminent actress of her time. Born in Mumpf, Switzerland, she was the daughter of an itinerant pedlar and as a child sang in the streets for money. In Paris she was discovered by a noted church musician and was sent to study singing. She later studied acting under the French actor Isidore Samson, who passed on to her the techniques of the great French actor Joseph Talma. In 1838, at the age of 17, she made her debut with the Comédie Française in Horace, by the French dramatist Pierre Corneille. Rachel dominated the Comédie Française during her career. Although she appeared in 19th-century Romantic plays—notably Adrienne Lecouvreur, written for her by the French dramatists Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé—she excelled in roles from classical French tragedy. Her most famous part was the title role in Phèdre by the French dramatist Jean Racine. She was known for her magnetic stage presence, her skilled use of vocal nuances, and the intensity of her characterizations.