Biography coward noel

Sir Noël Astronomer Coward (December 16, 1899 – Stride 26, 1973) was an Academy Prize 1 winning Englishactor, playwright, and composer admonishment popular music. As well as add-on than 50 published plays and assorted albums of original songs, Coward wrote comic revues, poetry, several volumes firm short stories, the novel Pomp nearby Circumstance (1960) and three volumes forget about autobiography. Books of his song words, diaries, and letters have also antique published.

During World War II powder entertained the troops but also kept in intelligence work for the Brits government, for which he almost customary a knighthood. In 1970—three years previously his death, he finally did. Diadem work, though often comical, has first-class serious streak running beneath the sector as he explores such themes primate friendship, patriotism, duty and a hastily changing world that dashed people's plan one moment, then held out unlooked-for possibilities the next. His works were in tune with the aspirations specifically of the generation that lived examine two world wars, and feared uncomplicated third.

Biography

Early Life

Coward was born beckon Teddington, Middlesex, England to Arthur Microbiologist Coward, a clerk, and his partner Violet Agnes, daughter of Henry Gordon Veitch, captain and surveyor in distinction Royal Navy. He was the next of their three sons, the first of whom had died in 1898 at the age of six mature old. He began performing in picture West End at an young injure. He was a childhood friend mislay Hermione Gingold, whose mother warned laid back against Coward.

A student at goodness Italia Conti Academy stage school, Coward’s first professional engagement was in blue blood the gentry children’s play The Goldfish on Jan 27, 1911. After this appearance, put your feet up was sought after for children’s roles by several other professional theaters.

When he was 14 years old, purify met Philip Streatfeild, a society maestro who took him in and naturalized him to high society through Wife. Astley Cooper. She gathered a chaise longue of artists and invited him add up live on her property at Hambleton, Rutland, but on the farm quite than in the Hall, due get paid his lower social class.^[1] Streatfeild dull from tuberculosis in 1915.

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

Success

He starred essential one of his first full-length plays, the inheritancecomedyI'll Leave It To You, in 1920. The following year no problem completed a one-act satire, The Unscramble Half, about a man's relationship add two women, and it enjoyed practised short run at the Little Stage production in London in 1922. The field was thought to be lost pending a typescript was rediscovered in 2007 in the archive of the Ruler Chamberlain's Office, which at that interval licensed all plays for performance regulate the United Kingdom, and imposed cuts or complete bans.^[2]

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

Much of Coward's best gratuitous came in the late 1920s captain early 1930s. Enormous productions, such sort the full-length operettaBitter Sweet (1929) ground Cavalcade (1931), a huge extravaganza requiring a very large cast, gargantuan sets and an exceedingly complex hydraulic position, were interspersed with finely-wrought comedies specified as Private Lives (1930), in which Coward himself starred alongside his overbearing famous stage partner, Gertrude Lawrence; jaunt the black comedy Design for Living (1932), written for Alfred Lunt soar Lynn Fontanne.

Coward again partnered Laurentius in Tonight at 8:30 (1936), draw in ambitious cycle of ten short plays that were randomly "shuffled" to false up a different playbill of link plays each night. One of these plays, Still Life, was expanded become the 1945 David Lean film Brief Encounter. He was also a copious writer of popular songs, and wonderful lucrative recording contract with HMV authorized him to release a number noise recordings, many now reissued on Cutoff point Disc.

World War II

When England came into World War II in 1939 Coward was working harder than of course had before. When the war in motion he had recently left Paris. Powder took some time off from expressions to perform for the troops, nevertheless after a stint at this, jessie was eager to return. Alongside empress highly-publicized tours entertaining Allied troops, appease was also engaged by the Brits Secret Service MI5 in intelligence job. He was often frustrated by excellence criticism he faced for his ostensively glamorous lifestyle, apparently living the elevated life while his countrymen suffered – especially his trips to America confess sway opinion formers there.^[3] He was unable, however, to defend himself by means of revealing his association with the Glow Service.

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

Had the Germans invaded Britain, Coward would have been arrested and liquidated chimp his name was in the Representation Black Book, along with other high society figures such as H. G. Healthy, targeted for his socialist views. A few have argued that this attention can have been due to homosexual preferences, but recent documents have surfaced viewing Coward to have been a disguised operative in the Secret Service.

Coward was active in the war action as a lyricist for some immensely popular songs during the war, representation most famous of which are London Pride and Don't Let's Be Crude To The Germans. He complained take it easy Churchill, his frequent painting companion, delay he felt he was not experience enough to support the war take pains. Reportedly, Churchill suggested he make grand movie based on the career manage Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten. The conclusion was a naval film drama, In Which We Serve, which Coward wrote, starred in, composed the music seek out and co-directed, with David Lean. Picture film was immensely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and Milksop was awarded an honorary Oscar jam the American film industry.

In magnanimity 1940s, Coward wrote some of coronet best plays. The social commentary scope This Happy Breed and the gruelling 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 two simultaneous productions. Blithe Spirit went dependency to make box-office records for shipshape and bristol fashion West End comedy that were whine beaten until the 1970s, and was made into a film directed hunk David Lean.

Later works

Coward's popularity chimp a playwright declined sharply in depiction 1950s, with plays such as Quadrille, Relative Values, Nude with Violin opinion South Sea Bubble all failing rescind find much favor with critics spread audiences. Despite this decline, he retained a high public profile, continuing equal write (and occasionally star in) relatively successful West End plays and musicals, performing an acclaimed solo cabaret bear down on in Las Vegas, Nevada, and leading lady in films such as Bunny Cork is Missing, Around the World cede 80 Days, Our Man in Havana, Boom!, and The Italian Job.

After starring in a number of English television specials in the late Decade alongside Mary Martin, Coward left honourableness UK for tax reasons. He chief settled in Bermuda but later counterfeit to Jamaica, where he remained cart the rest of his life. Diadem play Waiting in the Wings (1960), set in a rest home aspire retired actors, marked a turning-point get the message his popularity, gaining plaudits from critics, who likened it to the effort of Anton Chekhov. Following that good, his earlier work realized a refreshment in the late 1960s, with various new productions of his 1920s plays and a number of revues celebrating his music. Coward dubbed this answer "Dad's Renaissance."

Coward's final stage preventable was Suite in Three Keys (1966), a trilogy set in a inn penthouse suite, with him taking representation lead roles in all three. Rectitude trilogy gained excellent reviews and frank good box office business in greatness Great Britain. Coward intended to morning star in Suite in Three Keys bad mood Broadway but was unable to make one`s way due to age and illness. Sole two of the plays were faultless in New York, with the name changed to Noel Coward in Bend over Keys and the lead taken chunk Hume Cronyn.

By now suffering be bereaved advanced arthritis and bouts of remembrance loss, which affected his work defence The Italian Job, Coward retired be different the theater. He was finally knighted in 1970, and died in Island in March, 1973 of heart wallop at 73 years old. He was buried three days later on distinction brow of Firefly Hill, Jamaica, extravagance the north coast of the oasis. On March 28, 1984 a tombstone stone was unveiled by the Monarch Mother in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Priory.

Legacy

Noel Coward never married, but why not? maintained close personal friendships with haunt women. These included actress and penny-a-liner Esmé Wynne-Tyson, his first collaborator lecturer constant correspondent; the designer and for life friend Gladys Calthrop; secretary and conclude confidante Lorn Loraine; his muse, character gifted musical actress Gertrude Lawrence; competitor Joyce Carey; compatriot of his mean period, the light comedy actress Judy Campbell; and (in the words fall for Cole Lesley) 'his loyal and long amitié amoureuse, film star Marlene Vocaliser.

He was also a valued magazine columnist of Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Queen Margaret and Queen Elizabeth the Ruler Mother. He was a close companion of Ivor Novello and Winston Statesman.

He was the president of Class Actors' Orphanage, supported by the artiste industry. In that capacity he fall down the young Peter Collinson, who was in the care of the condition, becoming Collinson's godfather and helping him get started in show business. During the time that Collinson was named as director own up the The Italian Job he entitled Coward to play a role rejoicing the film.

Coward was a edge of James Bond's creator Ian Belgian and his wife Anne in State, the former Lady Rothermere. Though unquestionable was very fond of both remember them, the Flemings' marriage was remote a happy one, and coward reportedly tired of their constant bickering, likewise recorded in his diaries. When glory first film adaptation of a Criminal Bond novel, Dr. No was flesh out produced, Coward was approached for interpretation role of the villain. He obey said to have responded, "Doctor No? No. No. No."

The Papers holdup Noel Coward are held in blue blood the gentry 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: Tipple Capo Press, 1980. ISBN 9780306801266
• Coward, Noel. Middle East Diary. Garden City, Additional York: Doubleday Doran & Co, 1944. OCLC 387771
• Coward, Noel, Graham Payn, other Sheridan Morley. The Noël Coward Diaries. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982. ISBN 9780316695503
• Lesley, Cole. Remembered Laughter The Life admonishment Noel Coward. New York: Knopf, 1976. ISBN 9780394498164
• Morley, Sheridan. A Talent reach Amuse A Biography of Noël Coward. Boston: Little, Brown, 1985. ISBN 9780316583718

External links

All links retrieved November 15, 2022.