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Noel Coward |
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Born 1899, died 1973. Coward was an actor, playwright, and composer from London, England. An actor from the age of 12, his first play, written with Esme Wynne, was produced in 1917. Among his many successes were The Vortex (1924), Hay Fever (1925), Private Lives (1930), and Blithe Spirit (1941), all showing his strong satirical humour, and his gift for witty dialogue. He wrote the music as well as the lyrics for most of his works, including the musical Bitter Sweet (1929), the play Cavalcade (1931), and the revue Words and Music (1932), with its ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’. He was also an accomplished singer, produced several films based on his own scripts, and published two volumes of autobiography, Present Indicative (1937) and Future Indefinite (1954). He was knighted in 1970. |