John Daumery

Biography

John (Jean) Daumery was born Jean Nicolas Pierre Ysaÿe on May 17, 1898 in Brussels, Belgium. His father was Théo Ysaÿe (1865-1918) , a Belgian pianist and composer; and his mother was Dutch actress Carrie Daumery (nee, Carrie Mess). In World War I, he served in the Belgian army and shot films behind the front lines. During that time, Daumery inhaled poison gas which had been introduced by German forces at the battle of Ypres, Belgium in 1915. He was married to Beatrice Henriette Potter in early 1934 but died two months later on May 3, in Lausanne, Switzerland, from the gas poisoning. In 1930, Daumery began working as a director for Warner Brothers, First National, making English and French films out of the Burbank Studios. In 1932 he began directing films out of the Warner-First National studios in Teddington, England. These were mostly for release just in France and the United Kingdom. In 1934 he left Warner Brothers and directed the British Lion Corp. film, "Without You," and then made two films for British International Pictures - "Meet My Sister," and "Over the Garden Wall." Daumery's uncle was the renowned Belgian violinist, composer and conductor, Eugéne -Auguste Ysaÿe (1858-1931).