On meeting Tallulah Bankhead, du Maurier was quoted as saying that Bankhead was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Īs a young child, du Maurier met many prominent theatre actors, because of the celebrity of her father.

Barrie's inspiration for the characters in the play Peter Pan or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. She was a cousin of the Llewelyn Davies boys, who were J. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, became an actress and later also a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne du Maurier was a painter. Her mother was a paternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. Her paternal uncle Guy du Maurier was a playwright. Her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby. Quinton, 1911, where du Maurier spent much of her childhood.ĭaphne du Maurier was born at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel Beaumont. Biography Early life Ĭannon Hall, Hampstead, drawn by A.R. As her fame increased, she became more reclusive. Du Maurier spent much of her life in Cornwall, where most of her works are set. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories ' The Birds' and ' Don't Look Now'. Her bestselling works were not at first taken seriously by critics, but they have since earned an enduring reputation for narrative craft. Her grandfather was George du Maurier, a writer and cartoonist.Īlthough du Maurier is classed as a romantic novelist, her stories have been described as 'moody and resonant' with overtones of the paranormal. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, DBE ( / d uː ˈ m ɒr i eɪ/ – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright.

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