Education
Born in Peshawar into a British military family, de Vere studied art in Brighton and at the Royal Academy.
Born in Peshawar into a British military family, de Vere studied art in Brighton and at the Royal Academy.
She worked as a background designer at Halas and Batchelor studio beginning in 1951, at a time when women were unheard of in creative leadership roles in British animation. Nonetheless she took the leadership of the animation unit of Guild Television Services in 1957. During the 1960s, she worked as a freelancer, but joined TVC in 1967 to work as design director on the Beatles film Yellow Submarine, in which she had a cameo.
She continued working on children"s television series until the end of her life.
The Guardian characterized de Vere as "not only the first woman auteur cartoon film-maker in Britain but also the best", thanks to her proficiency in animation technique and her design sense. And her film The Black Dog as representing "the same sort of advance in animation that The Marriage of Figaro was in opera".
De Vere"s awards include the Grand Prix at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (1979 for Mr Pascal, ex æquo), and the first prize at the Odense International Film Festival (1989, for The Black Dog). In 2015, de Vere was among leading women animators honored by a short film opening the Annecy festival.