Hermione Eyre (born 1980) is a British journalist, novelist, and former child actor.
Hermione Eyre | |
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Occupation | Journalist, novelist |
Language | English |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Hertford College, Oxford |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Notable works | Viper Wine |
Spouse | Alex Burghart |
Website | |
www |
Hermione Eyre was born in 1980. Her parents were Sir Reginald Eyre, a British Conservative party politician, and Anne Clements.[1][2] Her godmother was the actress Hermione Gingold, who was a friend of her mother and her namesake.[3]
Eyre studied at Rugby School, joining at the age of 13 in the first year that the school admitted girls.[4]
Eyre read English at Hertford College, Oxford.[5][6]
After university, Eyre trained as a croupier at the Bermondsey Casino Training Centre,[7] and worked for a year at a London casino, dealing roulette and blackjack.[8]
At the age of 7, Eyre acted in About Face, a sitcom with Maureen Lipman. She also acted as a young Agatha Christie in a BBC production. In 1990, Eyre obtained a role as Zinnie in the film The Children with Kim Novak and Ben Kingsley.[9]
Aged 12, Eyre acted in her final role – as the Kid Clementina in an episode of the television series Jeeves and Wooster.[10]
Eyre worked at The Independent as a staff writer for seven years. She was also a television critic for that newspaper.[11]
Eyre is known for her long-form interviews with celebrities, publishing her works in the London Evening Standard Magazine, where she is a contributing editor.[12] She has also written for the New Statesman,[13] and The Spectator.[14]
Eyre co-wrote The Dictionary of National Celebrity in 2005.[15]
In 2014, she published a work of historical fiction Viper Wine, featuring Venetia Stanley and Kenelm Digby,[16] which was nominated for the Folio Prize,[17] and short-listed for the Walter Scott Prize.[18] Her novel won the Kitschies: Golden Tentacle award for best debut.[19]
Eyre cites Borges, Dorothy Parker and Charles Dickens as influences.[8]
Eyre lives in Archway, London. In 2012, she married Alex Burghart, now a Conservative MP.[20] Their daughter, Sybilla, was born in 2013.[2]