Sir Gerald Du Maurier was a renowned English stage actor-manager of the early 20th century, who earned a knighthood from King George V in 1922. Born on March 26, 1873, in Hampstead, London, he was the son of the Anglo-French writer and cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in his 1894 novel "Trilby", and Emma Wightwick.
Sir Gerald's father's connections enabled him to enter the theatre world, with a part in a production of Sydney Grundy's "An Old Jew" at the Garrick Theatre, courtesy of his father's friend John Hare. Like Seymour Hicks, another theatrical knight, Du Maurier toiled in small parts for many years before his breakthrough came in two plays by J.M. Barrie, the writer who was inspired by his nephews.
Du Maurier scored in Barrie's "The Admirable Crichton" in 1902 and, in a role closer to home, triumphed in the dual role of George Darling and Captain Hook in Barrie's "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" in 1904. His daughter Angela may have partially inspired the character of Wendy.
From 1910 to 1925, Du Maurier managed Wyndham's Theatre with Frank Curzon before moving his company to the St James's Theatre. Audiences were enamored of his subtly realistic acting style that suggested rather telegraphed emotion. According to his daughter Daphne, Du Maurier used a casual manner on stage and disliked it when an actor showed too much emotion.
He was made knighted in 1922 and such was his popularity, in 1929, a filtered cigarette brand was named after him in an endorsement deal. A heavy smoker, Du Maurier himself smoked filterless cigarettes and never partook of the brand named in his honor, but the deal gave him income to pay off a tax debt to the Inland Revenue.
Sir Gerald Du Maurier continued to perform onstage and in movies until his death. He died of colon cancer in London on April 11, 1934, at the age of 61.
