Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning was an English novelist, biographer, and playwright. Born on 13 May 1907 in London, England, she was the second of three daughters of the prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel Beaumont. Her paternal grandfather, George du Maurier, was a writer and cartoonist, notable for creating the character of Svengali in the novel Trilby.

Although classed as a romantic novelist, du Maurier's stories have been described as "moody and resonant" with overtones of the paranormal. Her works have earned an enduring reputation for narrative craft, with many successfully adapted into films, including Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn, and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". Alfred Hitchcock adapted several of her works into films, including Jamaica Inn (1939), Rebecca (1940), and The Birds (1963).

Du Maurier spent much of her life in Cornwall, where most of her works are set. As her fame increased, she became more reclusive. In 1932, she married Frederick "Boy" Browning, with whom she had three children: Tessa, Flavia, and Christian. Her husband passed away in 1965, and she died on 19 April 1989 in Fowey, Cornwall.

After her death, it was revealed that she was bisexual. She was named a Dame of the British Empire.