Born in
Bordeaux, where she studied with Schaffner, she made her debut in
Agen in 1853, as Inès in
La favorite. She came to Paris and was turned down by the director of the
Théâtre des Variétés but was noticed by Jacques Offenbach who invited her to the
Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, where she made her debut in 1855 in
Le violoneux. She enjoyed immediate success and created for Offenbach the role of Boulotte in
Barbe-bleue and the title roles in
La belle Hélène,
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and
La Périchole, all resounding triumphs. She also appeared in
London and
Saint Petersburg, to great acclaim. An accomplished singer and actress, she was much admired for her brio and verve on stage, was the toast of the
Second Empire and a favourite of royal visitors to Paris.
La Snédèr was reputedly one of
King Edward VII's mistresses (because of the favours which she liberally granted to the members of the nobility, she was known as
Le Passage des Princes.). She retired after her marriage in 1878 and died in Paris in 1920; her body rests at the
Protestant cemetery in Bordeaux. Her house at 123 Avenue de Versailles was given to L'Orphelinat des Arts (The Association / Les Enfants des Arts) in her will, with an instruction not to change the interior until 1950. Schneider was the subject of the 1950 film
La Valse de Paris by
Marcel Achard, where she was played by
Yvonne Printemps. ==References==