Noël Coward (1899–1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many of his works, such as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit, have remained in the regular theatre repertoire. He composed hundreds of songs, in addition to well over a dozen musical theatre works (including the operetta Bitter Sweet and comic revues), poetry, several volumes of short stories, the novel Pomp and Circumstance, and a three-volume autobiography. Coward's stage and film acting and directing career spanned six decades, during which he starred in many of his own works. Coward won an Academy Honorary Award in 1943 for his naval film drama, In Which We Serve, and was knighted in 1969. In the 1950s he achieved fresh success as a cabaret performer, performing his own songs, such as "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", "London Pride" and "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans". His plays and songs achieved new popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, and his work and style continue to influence popular culture.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Coward> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1639: The British East India Company bought a small strip of land on what is today Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from the King of the Vijayanagara Empire, Peda Venkata Raya. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai> 1791: A slave rebellion erupted in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, starting the Haitian Revolution. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution> 1864: The Red Cross movement led by Henry Dunant officially began when twelve European nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Committee_of_the_Red_Cross> 1910: Korea was annexed by Japan with the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of World War II. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan-Korea_Annexation_Treaty> 1922: Irish Civil War: Irish National Army commander-in-chief Michael Collins was assassinated in an ambush while en route through County Cork at the village of Béal na mBláth. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_%28Irish_leader%29> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: cordial (adj): 1. Hearty; sincere. 2. Radiating warmth and friendliness; genial <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cordial> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. --Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Schwarzkopf%2C_Jr.> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
