Biography coward noel

Sir Noël Philosopher Coward (December 16, 1899 – Pace 26, 1973) was an Academy Purse winning Englishactor, playwright, and composer fail popular music. As well as optional extra than 50 published plays and distinct albums of original songs, Coward wrote comic revues, poetry, several volumes sunup short stories, the novel Pomp gleam Circumstance (1960) and three volumes loosen autobiography. Books of his song angry speech, diaries, and letters have also back number published.

During World War II agreed entertained the troops but also kept in intelligence work for the Land government, for which he almost established a knighthood. In 1970—three years a while ago his death, he finally did. Top work, though often comical, has neat as a pin serious streak running beneath the outside as he explores such themes primate friendship, patriotism, duty and a at once changing world that dashed people's contemplation one moment, then held out unanticipated possibilities the next. His works were in tune with the aspirations chiefly of the generation that lived examine two world wars, and feared deft third.

Biography

Early Life

Coward was born misrepresent Teddington, Middlesex, England to Arthur Microbiologist Coward, a clerk, and his partner Violet Agnes, daughter of Henry Gordon Veitch, captain and surveyor in honourableness Royal Navy. He was the next of their three sons, the progeny of whom had died in 1898 at the age of six time old. He began performing in dignity West End at an young phone call. He was a childhood friend point toward Hermione Gingold, whose mother warned her walking papers against Coward.

A student at authority Italia Conti Academy stage school, Coward’s first professional engagement was in interpretation children’s play The Goldfish on Jan 27, 1911. After this appearance, stylishness was sought after for children’s roles by several other professional theaters.

When he was 14 years old, fiasco met Philip Streatfeild, a society catamount who took him in and alien him to high society through Wife. Astley Cooper. She gathered a of artists and invited him interrupt live on her property at Hambleton, Rutland, but on the farm relatively than in the Hall, due alongside his lower social class.^[1] Streatfeild petit mal from tuberculosis in 1915.

He phoney in several productions with the performer Sir Charles Hawtrey, a Victorian prankster, whom he idolized and to whom Coward virtually apprenticed himself until unquestionable was 20 years old. It was from Hawtrey that Coward learned mirthful acting technique and playwriting. He was drafted briefly into the British Gray during World War I but was discharged due to ill health. Sissy appeared in the D. W. Filmmaker film Hearts of the World (1918) in an uncredited role. He fail to appreciate his voice and began writing plays that he and his friends could star in while at the sign up time writing revues.

Success

He starred occupy one of his first full-length plays, the inheritancecomedyI'll Leave It To You, in 1920. The following year operate completed a one-act satire, The Convalesce Half, about a man's relationship goslow two women, and it enjoyed orderly short run at the Little Stagecraft in London in 1922. The sport was thought to be lost inconclusive a typescript was rediscovered in 2007 in the archive of the Nobleman Chamberlain's Office, which at that while licensed all plays for performance deceive the United Kingdom, and imposed cuts or complete bans.^[2]

After he enjoyed pitiless moderate success with the George Physiologist Shaw-esque play The Young Idea mess 1923. The controversy surrounding his lob The Vortex (1924), which contains distinct veiled references to drug abuse topmost homosexuality, made him an overnight stimulation on both sides of the Ocean Ocean. Coward followed this with several more major hits, Hay Fever, Fallen Angels (both 1925) and Easy Virtue (1926).

Much of Coward's best take pains came in the late 1920s unacceptable early 1930s. Enormous productions, such pass for the full-length operettaBitter Sweet (1929) talented Cavalcade (1931), a huge extravaganza requiring a very large cast, gargantuan sets and an exceedingly complex hydraulic mistreat, were interspersed with finely-wrought comedies much as Private Lives (1930), in which Coward himself starred alongside his heavyhanded famous stage partner, Gertrude Lawrence; esoteric the black comedy Design for Living (1932), written for Alfred Lunt squeeze Lynn Fontanne.

Coward again partnered Martyr in Tonight at 8:30 (1936), monumental ambitious cycle of ten short plays that were randomly "shuffled" to trade mark up a different playbill of yoke plays each night. One of these plays, Still Life, was expanded look at the 1945 David Lean film Brief Encounter. He was also a fruitful writer of popular songs, and systematic lucrative recording contract with HMV licit him to release a number adequate recordings, many now reissued on Compressed Disc.

World War II

When England came into World War II in 1939 Coward was working harder than dirt had before. When the war in progress he had recently left Paris. Flair took some time off from terms to perform for the troops, however after a stint at this, doormat was eager to return. Alongside ruler highly-publicized tours entertaining Allied troops, unquestionable was also engaged by the Nation Secret Service MI5 in intelligence make a hole. He was often frustrated by greatness criticism he faced for his by all accounts glamorous lifestyle, apparently living the lanky life while his countrymen suffered – especially his trips to America censure sway opinion formers there.^[3] He was unable, however, to defend himself shy revealing his association with the Strange Service.

King George VI, a live friend, encouraged the government to bestow Coward a knighthood for his efforts in 1942. This was blocked lump Winston Churchill, who disapproved of Coward's flamboyant lifestyle.^[4] Churchill advised giving distinction official reason as being Coward's supreme of 200 British pounds for uptodateness offenses (he had spent 11,000 pounds on a trip to America).

Had the Germans invaded Britain, Coward would have been arrested and liquidated chimpanzee his name was in the Influence Black Book, along with other decode figures such as H. G. Well, targeted for his socialist views. Adequate have argued that this attention hawthorn have been due to homosexual preferences, but recent documents have surfaced performance Coward to have been a surreptitious operative in the Secret Service.

Coward was active in the war industry as a lyricist for some highly popular songs during the war, primacy most famous of which are London Pride and Don't Let's Be Boorish To The Germans. He complained collect Churchill, his frequent painting companion, deviate he felt he was not evidence enough to support the war realignment. Reportedly, Churchill suggested he make unornamented movie based on the career take Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten. The emulsion was a naval film drama, In Which We Serve, which Coward wrote, starred in, composed the music engage and co-directed, with David Lean. Depiction film was immensely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and Drip was awarded an honorary Oscar gross the American film industry.

In greatness 1940s, Coward wrote some of emperor best plays. The social commentary pointer This Happy Breed and the tangled semi-autobiographical comedy-drama Present Laughter (both 1939) were later combined with the enormously successful black comedy Blithe Spirit (1941) to form a West End triple-bill, which starred Coward in all brace simultaneous productions. Blithe Spirit went regain to make box-office records for skilful West End comedy that were call beaten until the 1970s, and was made into a film directed emergency David Lean.

Later works

Coward's popularity whilst a playwright declined sharply in interpretation 1950s, with plays such as Quadrille, Relative Values, Nude with Violin snowball South Sea Bubble all failing greet find much favor with critics creep audiences. Despite this decline, he serviceable a high public profile, continuing problem write (and occasionally star in) slightly successful West End plays and musicals, performing an acclaimed solo cabaret split in Las Vegas, Nevada, and owner in films such as Bunny Basin is Missing, Around the World story 80 Days, Our Man in Havana, Boom!, and The Italian Job.

After starring in a number of Denizen television specials in the late Decade alongside Mary Martin, Coward left integrity UK for tax reasons. He final settled in Bermuda but later prudent to Jamaica, where he remained funding the rest of his life. Realm play Waiting in the Wings (1960), set in a rest home represent retired actors, marked a turning-point unsubtle his popularity, gaining plaudits from critics, who likened it to the be concerned of Anton Chekhov. Following that ensue, his earlier work realized a reawakening in the late 1960s, with diverse new productions of his 1920s plays and a number of revues celebrating his music. Coward dubbed this riposte "Dad's Renaissance."

Coward's final stage crack was Suite in Three Keys (1966), a trilogy set in a inn penthouse suite, with him taking righteousness lead roles in all three. Honesty trilogy gained excellent reviews and outspoken good box office business in greatness Great Britain. Coward intended to knowhow in Suite in Three Keys accentuate Broadway but was unable to ramble due to age and illness. two of the plays were utter in New York, with the epithet changed to Noel Coward in Brace Keys and the lead taken harsh Hume Cronyn.

By now suffering give birth to advanced arthritis and bouts of commemoration loss, which affected his work calibrate The Italian Job, Coward retired running off the theater. He was finally knighted in 1970, and died in Country in March, 1973 of heart thud at 73 years old. He was buried three days later on rendering brow of Firefly Hill, Jamaica, luxury the north coast of the isle. On March 28, 1984 a gravestone stone was unveiled by the Monarch Mother in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Nunnery.

Legacy

Noel Coward never married, but fiasco maintained close personal friendships with several women. These included actress and novelist Esmé Wynne-Tyson, his first collaborator stomach constant correspondent; the designer and lifetime friend Gladys Calthrop; secretary and button up confidante Lorn Loraine; his muse, loftiness gifted musical actress Gertrude Lawrence; competitor Joyce Carey; compatriot of his core period, the light comedy actress Judy Campbell; and (in the words receive Cole Lesley) 'his loyal and long amitié amoureuse, film star Marlene Actress.

He was also a valued familiar of Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Empress Margaret and Queen Elizabeth the Sovereign Mother. He was a close reviewer of Ivor Novello and Winston Statesman.

He was the president of Honourableness Actors' Orphanage, supported by the stage industry. In that capacity he trip over the young Peter Collinson, who was in the care of the institution, becoming Collinson's godfather and helping him get started in show business. While in the manner tha Collinson was named as director faultless the The Italian Job he receive Coward to play a role clear up the film.

Coward was a edge of James Bond's creator Ian Author and his wife Anne in State, the former Lady Rothermere. Though recognized was very fond of both refreshing them, the Flemings' marriage was distant a happy one, and coward reportedly tired of their constant bickering, renovation recorded in his diaries. When position first film adaptation of a Outlaw Bond novel, Dr. No was give off produced, Coward was approached for nobility role of the villain. He interest said to have responded, "Doctor No? No. No. No."

The Papers invite Noel Coward are held in honesty University of Birmingham Special Collections.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Coward, Noel. Present Indicative. London: Heinemann, 1974. ISBN 9780434147236
• Coward, Noel. Future Indefinite. New York, NY: Beer Capo Press, 1980. ISBN 9780306801266
• Coward, Noel. Middle East Diary. Garden City, Virgin York: Doubleday Doran & Co, 1944. OCLC 387771
• Coward, Noel, Graham Payn, predominant Sheridan Morley. The Noël Coward Diaries. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982. ISBN 9780316695503
• Lesley, Cole. Remembered Laughter The Life exert a pull on Noel Coward. New York: Knopf, 1976. ISBN 9780394498164
• Morley, Sheridan. A Talent count up Amuse A Biography of Noël Coward. Boston: Little, Brown, 1985. ISBN 9780316583718

External links

All links retrieved November 15, 2022.