Rostand, Edmund, a French poet; born in Marseilles, France, in 1868; was educated in Paris; and in 1894 his first play "The Romanticists" was produced at the Comedie Francaise. It was an instantaneous success and was followed by "Princess Lontaine"; "The Samaritan"; "Cyrano de Bergerac"; and "L'Aiglon." The last two were translated into English and played in the United States by Richard Mansfield and Maude Adams; and in 1901 Coquelin and Sarah Bernhardt, the leading French actor and actress, presented the original versions in the United States. Rostand's versification is of remarkable beauty. On May 30, 1901, he was elected one of the 40 "immortals." In 1910 "Chantecler," another of his plays, was produced with great success.
Entry from Everybody's Cyclopedia,
1912.