Daphne Du Maurier (1907 – 1989)

Her best-known work, Rebecca (1938), is a literary classic and was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-winning film as well as many other adaptations.

She was born in London, the daughter of the actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier, and granddaughter of the author and cartoonist, George du Maurier. These connections gave a head start to her literary career, and her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published in 1931.

Although married for many years to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick "Boy" Browning and the mother of one son and two daughters, du Maurier was bisexual (which she referred to as her "Venetian tendencies"), and had intimate relationships with several women, including actress Gertrude Lawrence.

Her writing went from strength to strength. She is most noted for the novel Rebecca which has been filmed on several occasions. Besides Rebecca, several of her other novels were made into films, including The Glass-Blowers, which traces her French ancestry.

She was named a Dame of the British Empire, and died at the age of 81 in 1989, at her home in Cornwall, in a region which had been the setting for many of her books.

As per her desire, Dame Daphne's body was cremated and her ashes were scattered on the cliffs near her home.