二十世纪英国最重要、也是最知名的作家之一。一八七四年出生于法国巴黎，二十三岁即以第一本小说《兰白斯德丽莎》一鸣惊人；一九一五年的《人生的枷锁》与一九一九年的《月亮与六便士》，则更确立了他在文坛的地位。他也是一位成功的剧作家，编写的舞台剧在当时伦敦的卖座程度与萧伯纳相比不遑多让。

毛姆的一生多姿多彩，几乎游遍世界各地，一次世界大战时曾担任情报员，战后游踪更广，最后在法国南部定居，直至一九六五年去世为止。

毛姆著作甚丰，无论是小说、剧本、评论、随笔、游记和回忆录都广受好评，一九六一年与福斯特（《印度之旅》作者）同获英国皇家“文学勋章”最高荣誉。毛姆的小说多以异国为背景，处理情节的技巧十分精炼，善于营造悬疑气氛，而对于女性内心的描写更见细腻，处处展露出对人性的洞察。其他作品尚有《兼差密谍阿申登》《刀锋》《饼与酒》《书与你》《作家手记》《巨匠与杰作》等。

Julia Lambert is in her prime, the greatest actress in England. On stage she is a true professional, in full possession of her emotions. Off stage, however, she is bored with her husband, less disciplined about her behaviour. She is at first amused by the attentions of a shy but ambitious young fan, then thrilled by his persistence — and at last wildly but dangerously in love. Although Maugham is most celebrated as a novelist and short-story writer, it was as a playwright that he first knew success. Theatre is both a tribute to a world from which he had retired and a persuasive testimony to his enthusiasm for drama and the stage.

Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham is the basis of Being Juli a, a major worldwide movie release in October 2004 starring Annette Benning and Jeremy Irons.

About the movie: Being Julia is a delicious tale of amorous folly and revenge set in the world of the London stage in the late 1930’s. It is the story of reigning stage diva Julia Lambert (played by Annette Benning in a tour-de-force performance) who falls head over heels in love with a young American. When she realizes that he is just a young social climber whose real passion is ambitious starlet Avice Crichton, Julia begins to plot a delightful revenge. Being Julia is at once playful, sexy and viciously satisfying. Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood and Maury Chaykin also star.