Mary Elizabeth Braddon (4 October 1835 - 4 February 1915) born in London and was privately educated. She was a popular novelist of the Victorian era. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret, which has also been dramatised and filmed several times. Mary worked as an actress for three years, when she was befriended by Clara and Adelaide Biddle. They were only playing minor roles, but Braddon was able to support herself and her mother. Braddon was a prolific writer, producing more than 80 novels with inventive plots. She also wrote several works of supernatural fiction.