Authors

British · 1899–1973

Noël Coward

Noël Coward was a British playwright, composer, director, and actor who defined the sophisticated wit of mid-twentieth-century British theatre. Private Lives (1930), Blithe Spirit (1941), and Design for Living (1932) are his comic masterpieces; his wartime film In Which We Serve (1942) won a special Academy Award. He wrote 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen,' 'Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington,' and hundreds of other songs. He was knighted in 1970. 'The Master,' as he was known, combined commercial success with genuine artistic quality across six decades.