Henri Dreyfus was born on 26 February 1866 in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.

[2] Under the stage name of Henri Fursy, he was a chansonnier, a singer of humorous songs, in Montmartre.

He also directed several cabarets as a manager or owner, including the famous Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat), which he bought after the death of Rodolphe Salis and renamed La Boîte à Fursy (The Fursy Box).

[3][4][5] Henri Fursy was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1927.

[7][8] Albert Michaud published a tribute after his death in Le Cornet (The Horn) where he says Fursy left a young widow and an adopted girl.