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Noel Pierce Coward was born on December 19th 1899 in Teddington, London.
He was the second child for his parents Violet and Arthur. Their first child had died in infancy and because of this Violet was extremely protective of Noel. They also had another son, but he also suffered chronic bad health.
Noel became a child that loved to perform in front of guests, and was not averse to showing off if he did not get his way.
His mother enrolled him at The Chapel Royal Choir School, and he also attended dance lessons.
At the age of twelve he made his professional debut in a show called Goldfish, this was followed by several West End productions.
For the next few years his social circle expanded, and soon he was spending weekends and holidays at country homes. This prepared him for the elegant world he intended to take his place in.
When the war broke out in 1914, Noel was too young to be called up. But by 1918 he had reached the age, and found himself assigned to the Rifle Corps. But a head injury meant that he spent most of his nine months in hospital. On his release he found he had plenty of time to devote to his writing.
In 1920 his first play I Leave It To You with Noel playing the lead role appeared in the West End.
In 1921 he set sail for America, although he made plenty of new friends, his search for work was disappointing. He returned to England, and his luck took a turn for the better, when a leading producer featured several of his songs in the revue London Calling. It was the break Noel needed; by 1925 he was a success on both sides of the Atlantic.
His work was continued to be in high demand, Noel thrived on it. He was as popular off the stage as he was on it.
At the outbreak of WW11 he was determined to serve his country. For a while he served as a secret agent, also entertaining the troops abroad, often at his own expense.
But the end of the war signalled a change in the publics taste, soon Noel settled in Jamaica as a tax exile, much to the chagrin of the British public.
His success in America continued to soar, enabling him to buy a home in Switzerland.
In 1970 he was given a Knighthood by the Queen. Noel was thrilled although he lived abroad, he considered himself to be an Englishman through and through.
On March 26th 1973, while at his home in Jamaica, Noel suffered a stroke and died. He was buried in Jamaica, in the grounds of his beloved home. Years later, Westminster Abbey installed a memorial to him in Poets Corner. |
