French novelist and playwright, most of whose dramas were tragedies centring on family conflicts and relationships, intended to teach some moral lesson.

After training as a lawyer, Hervieu entered the diplomatic service. Later, he began writing novels and short stories, of which the best are Flirt (1890) and Peints par eux-mêmes (1893). He then turned to writing plays, and for some 20 years he was associated with the Comédie-Française. One of his most successful plays was a historical drama of the French Revolution, Théroigne de Méricourt, which he wrote especially for the Comédie's leading actress, Sarah Bernhardt. His best works had a legal background, notably Les Tenailles (1895; In Chains), La Loi de l'homme (1897; “The Law of Man”), and Le Dédale (1903; The Labyrinth). All of these were directed against the strict divorce laws then operating in France. In 1899 Hervieu was elected to the French Academy.