Noël Coward

Born in Teddington, England, in 1899, Noël Coward began performing as a child and was already working in theatre before he was a teenager. He grew into one of the best-known figures in British entertainment: a playwright, songwriter, actor, director, and performer whose style was as famous as his talent.

Coward became celebrated for sophisticated comedies and stage works such as Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter, and Blithe Spirit. He also wrote popular songs, appeared in films, and contributed to the wartime film In Which We Serve. His public image combined polish, speed, and razor-sharp wit, but his output was enormous and ranged well beyond drawing-room comedy.

Later in life he was recognized for his contribution to the arts with a knighthood, and he spent many of his final years in Jamaica, where he died in 1973. More than fifty years later, his plays and songs are still regularly revived, and his voice remains instantly recognizable: stylish, funny, and much smarter than it first pretends to be.