Personal Life
On 1 February 1840, he married the actress Ida Ferrier (born Marguerite-Joséphine Ferrand) (1811—1859). He had numerous liaisons with other women, and was known to have fathered at least four illegitimate children:
- Alexandre Dumas, fils, son of Marie-Laure-Catherine Labay (1794—1868), a dressmaker. He became a successful novelist and playwright.
- Marie-Alexandrine Dumas (5 March 1831—1878), the daughter of Belle Krelsamer (1803—1875). Marie-Alexandrine later married Pierre Petel.
- Micaëlla-Clélie-Josepha-Élisabeth Cordier (born 1860), the daughter of Emélie Cordier.
- Henry Bauer, the son of a woman whose surname was Bauer.
About 1866, Dumas had an affair with Adah Isaacs Menken, a well-known American actress less than half his age. She had performed her sensational role in Mazeppa in London. In Paris she had a sold-out run of Les Pirates de la Savanne and was at the peak of her success.
These women were among the total of Dumas' nearly 40 mistresses found by the scholar Claude Schopp, in addition to three more illegitimate children. He has been researching Dumas for decades, primarily his writings.
Read more about this topic: Alexandre Dumas
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