He was born in La Ferte-Milon, France. He studied at Beauvais and Port Royal, then went to Paris, where he began to write plays in 1664.

The production of Andromaque (1667), the first of his 7 master-pieces, became one of the most important events in the history of French theater, and Racine became regarded as the master of tragic pathos.

Other plays followed soon: Britannicus (1669); Bajazet (1672); and Berenice (1679). The great actress Sarah Bernhardt won fame playing the lead role in his most famous play - a tragedy called Phedre (1677).