Joan Fontaine owes a significant portion of her stardom to Daphne du Maurier, the author of the celebrated novel *Rebecca*. The 1938 publication was a resounding success, and its 1940 Hollywood film adaptation, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, garnered the esteemed director his first Academy Award. Fontaine’s captivating performance in the Hitchcock classic cemented her status as a Hollywood icon. In 1944, the actress…







