George du Maurier was an anglo-French writer and cartoonist best known
for creating the character of Svengali in his 1894 novel "Trilby" and
for being the father of actor-manager Sir Gerald Du Maurier, the
grandfather of writer Dame
Daphne Du Maurier, and the grandfather
of the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired
J.M. Barrie's
Peter Pan (1924).
Du Maurier was born in Paris on March 6, 1834 to Louis-Mathurin Du
Maurier and Ellen Clarke. His maternal grandmother was Mary Anne
Clarke, who was a notorious courtesan during England's Regency period.
After studying art in Paris, George moved to Antwerp, Belgium and met
Englishwoman Emma Wightwick, who was to become his wife, in Düsseldorf,
Germany. He followed Emma to London and married her in 1863. Of their
five children, Gerald was their second son and last-born. He died on
October 8, 1896 at the age of 62.