Marcelle Maurette (14 November 1903 – 24 October 1972) was a French playwright and screenwriter who is particularly well known for her play Anastasia (1952) which brought her international recognition, and inspired a film of the same name.

In the 1930s, when her theatrical work began to flourish, more French women than ever before were being recognised for their talent as dramatists and seeing their plays performed on the Parisian stage.

[4] In this she was supported by the director Gaston Baty who rejected literary theatre while also avoiding naturalism, and staged four of her plays:[4] Madame Capet, Manon Lescaut, Marie Stuart and Neiges.

[7] An English translation/adaptation by Guy Bolton (1952) was staged in England by Mary Kerridge and John Counsell, then in 1953 shown on television[8] where Vivien Leigh saw it and recommended it to her husband Laurence Olivier for a London production at the St. James's Theatre.

In 1956 the play was presented at the Falmouth Playhouse in Massachusetts with the Mexican actress Dolores del Río and continued with a tour of seven other theaters throughout New England.

[10] Then, after bidding in competition with Warner and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,[4] 20th Century Fox bought the rights for the 1956 film version of Anastasia with Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner, for "more than £20,000".

[5] The French National Library has a Maurette collection including scrapbooks with photographs and newspaper clippings for certain productions.