- Born
- Died
- Birth nameNoël Peirce Coward
- Nickname
- The Master
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Noel Coward virtually invented the concept of Englishness for the 20th century. An astounding polymath - dramatist, actor, writer, composer, lyricist, painter, and wit -- he was defined by his Englishness as much as he defined it. He was indeed the first Brit pop star, the first ambassador of "cool Britannia." Even before his 1924 drugs-and-sex scandal of The Vortex, his fans were hanging out of their scarves over the theater balcony, imitating their idol's dress and repeating each "Noelism" with glee. Born in suburban Teddington on 16 December 1899, Coward was on stage by the age of six, and writing his first drama ten years later. A visit to New York in 1921 infused him with the pace of Broadway shows, and he injected its speed into staid British drama and music to create a high-octane rush for the jazz-mad, dance-crazy 1920s. Coward's style was imitated everywhere, as otherwise quite normal Englishmen donned dressing gowns, stuck cigarettes in long holders and called each other "dahling"; his revues propagated the message, with songs sentimental ("A Room With A View," "I'll See You Again") and satirical ("Mad Dogs and Englishmen," "Don't Put Your Daughter On the Stage, Mrs. Worthington"). His between-the-wars celebrity reached a peak in 1930 with "Private Lives," by which time he had become the highest earning author in the western world. With the onset of World War II he redefined the spirit of the country in films such as This Happy Breed (1944), In Which We Serve (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945) and, perhaps most memorably, Brief Encounter (1945). In the postwar period, Coward, the aging Bright Young Thing, seemed outmoded by the Angry Young Men, but, like any modern pop star, he reinvented himself, this time as a hip cabaret singer: "Las Vegas, Flipping, Shouts "More!" as Noel Coward Wows 'Em in Cafe Turn" enthused Variety. By the 1960s, his reappraisal was complete -- "Dad's Renaissance", called it -- and his "Hay Fever" was the first work by a living author to be produced at the National Theatre. He was knighted -- at last -- in 1970, and died in his beloved Jamaica on 26 March 1973. Since his death, his reputation has grown. There is never a point at which his plays are not being performed, or his songs being sung. A playwright, director, actor, songwriter, filmmaker, novelist, wit . . . was there nothing this man couldn't do? Born into a musical family he was soon treading the boards in various music hall shows where he met a young girl called Gertrude Lawrence, a friendship and working partnership that lasted until her death. His early writings were mainly short songs and sketches for the revue shows popular in the 1920s, but even his early works often contained touches of the genius to come ("Parisian Pierrot" 1923). He went on to write and star (with Gertie) in his own revues, but the whiff of scandal was never far away, such as that from the drug addict portrayed in "The Vortex." Despite his obvious homosexual lifestyle he was taken to the hearts of the people and soon grew into one of the most popular writer/performers of his time.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
- ParentsArthur Sabin CowardViolet Agnes Coward
- RelativesEric Coward(Sibling)Russell Arthur Coward(Sibling)Henry Gordon Veitch(Grandparent)
- Worked undercover for British Intellegence during WWII.
- He once encountered Edna Ferber, who was wearing a tailored suit. "You look almost like a man," said Coward. "So do you," replied Ferber.
- On September 13, 1945, the discovery of Adolf Hitler's secret plan for the extermination of certain prominent British figures once England was taken over was made public. Among the figures were Winston Churchill, Vic Oliver, Dame Sybil Thorndike, author and journalist Rebecca West and Coward himself. "What a cast!" he remarked. West, learning that she and Coward were on the list of those to be executed, sent Coward a postcard, saying "Just think who we'd have been seen dead with!".
- He and Marlene Dietrich had become, and remained, close friends since their first conversation--by transatlantic telephone--in 1935.
- Jules C. Stein was an American physician and businessman who co-founded Music Corporation of America (MCA). When Coward was visiting New York City in September 1947, Stein and his MCA associate Charles Miller made a fantastic proposition: if he would guarantee Paramount Pictures three commitments, either as an actor, author or director, they would pay him $500 a week for 23 years. He visualized British newspaper headlines back in England: "Coward signs up to American film company--another rat leaving the sinking ship". His instincts told him to refuse. He did and they were astounded. Coward valued his freedom more than the money they were going to pay him.
- Having to read a footnote resembles having to go downstairs to answer the door while in the midst of making love.
- [About Oscar Wilde] It is extraordinary indeed that such a posing, artificial old queen should have written one of the greatest comedies in the English language!
- [To Peter O'Toole] If you'd been any prettier, it would have been "Florence of Arabia".
- Comedies of manners swiftly become obsolete when there are no longer any manners.
- Everybody worships me, it's nauseating.
- The Italian Job (1969) - £25,000
- Paris When It Sizzles (1964) - $10,000
- Surprise Package (1960) - £35,000
- Our Man in Havana (1960) - £20,000 + expenses
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - A painting by Édouard Vuillard
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