born berthe marguerite jeanne bovy, she was the daughter of poet and journalist théophile bovy, she was born in cheratte, now part of the commune of visé, in the province of liège. seemingly interested in acting from an early age, an interest which her father encouraged, she enrolled in the koninklijk conservatorium in brussels following a meeting with sarah bernhardt. from 1904 to 1906 she studied at the cnsad in paris. she joined the comédie-française in 1907.