du Maurier, Dame Daphne

born May 13, 1907, London, Eng.

died April 19, 1989, Par, Cornwall

British novelist and playwright.

Granddaughter of George du Maurier and daughter of the actor-manager Sir Gerald Du Maurier (1873–1934), she is best known for the romantic gothic suspense novel Rebecca (1938), one of many successful tales set on the wild coast of Cornwall. Her other novels include Jamaica Inn (1936), Frenchman's Creek (1942), and My Cousin Rachel (1951). Her story "The Birds," like Jamaica Inn and Rebecca, was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock.

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▪ British writer

married name  Lady Daphne Browning 

born May 13, 1907, London, Eng.

died April 19, 1989, Par, Cornwall

 English novelist and playwright, daughter of actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier, best known for her novel Rebecca (1938).

      Du Maurier's first novel, The Loving Spirit (1931), was followed by many successful, usually romantic tales set on the wild coast of Cornwall, where she came to live. She also wrote historical fiction, several plays, and Vanishing Cornwall (1967), a travel guide. Her popular Rebecca was made into a motion picture in 1940. Du Maurier was made a Dame Commander in the Order of the British Empire in 1969. She published an autobiography, Growing Pains, in 1977; the collection The Rendezvous and Other Stories in 1980; and a literary reminiscence, The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, in 1981.

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