George du Maurier was a renowned Anglo-French writer and cartoonist, whose most notable creation was the captivating character of Svengali in his 1894 novel "Trilby". Furthermore, he is recognized as the father of the illustrious actor-manager Sir Gerald Du Maurier, the grandfather of the celebrated writer Dame Daphne Du Maurier, and the grandfather of the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired J.M. Barrie's iconic Peter Pan (1924).
Born in Paris on March 6, 1834, to Louis-Mathurin Du Maurier and Ellen Clarke, George's maternal grandmother, Mary Anne Clarke, was a notorious courtesan during England's Regency period. After studying art in Paris, George relocated to Antwerp, Belgium, where he met Englishwoman Emma Wightwick, who would eventually 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. George du Maurier passed away on October 8, 1896, at the age of 62.
