Noël Coward
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 1899 – 26 March 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". Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy in London as a child, making his professional stage début at the age of eleven. As a teenager he was introduced into the high society in which most of his plays would be set. 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. At the outbreak of World War II, Coward volunteered for war work, running the British propaganda office in Paris. He also worked with the Secret Service, seeking to use his influence to persuade the American public and government to help Britain. 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 "I Went to a Marvellous Party". His plays and songs achieved new popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, and his work and style continue to influence popular culture. Coward did not publicly acknowledge his homosexuality, but it was discussed candidly after his death by biographers including Graham Payn, his long-time partner, and in Coward's diaries and letters, published posthumously. The former Albery Theatre (originally the New Theatre) in London was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in his honour in 2006. Description above from the Wikipedia article Noël Coward, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: December 15, 1899
Deathday: March 26, 1973
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Known For
The Italian Job
1969-06-02
The Italian Job
Overview: Charlie's got a 'job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of his friends has attempted a high-risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie's friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over the 'job'. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars, and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos.
Genres: Action Crime Comedy Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-06-02
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Bunny Lake Is Missing
1965-10-03
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Overview: A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.
Genres: Mystery Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1965-10-03
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Our Man in Havana
1960-01-27
Our Man in Havana
Overview: Jim Wormold is an expatriate Englishman living in pre-revolutionary Havana with his teenage daughter Milly. He owns a vacuum cleaner shop but isn’t very successful so he accepts an offer from Hawthorne of the British Secret Service to recruit a network of agents in Cuba.
Genres: Comedy Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-01-27
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In Which We Serve
1942-09-17
In Which We Serve
Overview: The story of the HMS Torrin, from its construction to its sinking in the Mediterranean during action in World War II. The ship's first and only commanding officer is Captain E.V. Kinross, who trains his men not only to be loyal to him and the country, but—most importantly—to themselves.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-09-17
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The Scoundrel
1935-04-30
The Scoundrel
Overview: A ruthless, cynical, hated publisher is killed in a plane crash, doomed to be a "restless" spirit for being unloved. A heavenly power gives him a month on Earth to find one person to shed a tear for him before his fate is sealed.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-04-30
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Boom!
1968-05-26
Boom!
Overview: Explores the confrontation between the woman who has everything, including emptiness, and a penniless poet who has nothing but the ability to fill a wealthy woman's needs.
Genres: Drama Thriller Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1968-05-26
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Le Journal de la Résistance
1945-01-01
Le Journal de la Résistance
Overview: Shot primarily by twelve French cameramen (led by filmmakers Jean Painlevé and Jean Grémillon), in August 1944, this film captures the final French insurrection in German-occupied Paris, the surrender of the Germans, and the mass celebration in the streets. (There is an English-language version narrated by Noel Coward.)
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 1945-01-01
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Men Are Not Gods
1936-11-26
Men Are Not Gods
Overview: Actor Edmund Davey becomes a star overnight when his wife and co-star teams up with the secretary of a noted stage critic to produce a glowing review of his 'Othello'.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1936-11-26
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The Astonished Heart
1950-03-17
The Astonished Heart
Overview: Several years after graduation, best friends Barbara (Celia Johnson) and Leonora (Margaret Leighton) reconnect as if not a day has gone by. But Leonora could do without Barbara's husband, Christian (Noel Coward), whom she finds arrogant and off-putting ... at first. One evening alone together, romance is set ablaze, leaving Christian with a lot of explaining to do to Barbara.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-03-17
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Surprise Package
1960-09-29
Surprise Package
Overview: Comic crime caper, set on a Greek island, starring Yul Brynner and Mitzi Gaynor.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-09-29
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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
2023-06-02
Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
Overview: The extraordinary life of playwright, singer, actor, composer, and director Noël Coward, who rose from poverty to stardom while keeping his sexuality a secret. Featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. Narrated by Alan Cumming. With Rupert Everett as the voice of Noël Coward. Directed by Academy Award Nominee Barnaby Thompson.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2023-06-02
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Blithe Spirit
1956-01-14
Blithe Spirit
Overview: Television adaptation of Noël Coward's famous play about an unhappily married man plagued by the spirit of his dead previous wife.
Genres: Comedy TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-01-14
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Paris When It Sizzles
1964-03-01
Paris When It Sizzles
Overview: Hollywood producer Alexander Meyerheimer has hired drunken writer Richard Benson to write his latest movie. Benson has been holed up in a Paris apartment supposedly working on the script for months, but instead has spent the time living it up. Benson now has just two days to the deadline and thus hires a temporary secretary, Gabrielle Simpson, to help him complete it in time.
Genres: Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1964-03-01
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Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
1988-02-04
Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
Overview: An irreverent survey of British Music.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1988-02-04
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The South Bank Show: Noël Coward
1992-03-01
The South Bank Show: Noël Coward
Overview: Television documentary on playwright, actor, composer, and film maker Noel Coward.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-03-01
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Around the World in Eighty Days
1956-10-17
Around the World in Eighty Days
Overview: Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.
Genres: Adventure Comedy Family Fantasy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-10-17
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Blithe Spirit
1945-04-05
Blithe Spirit
Overview: An English mystery novelist invites a medium to his home, so she may conduct a séance for a small gathering. The writer hopes to gather enough material for the book he's working on, as well as to expose the medium as a charlatan. However, proceedings take an unexpected turn, resulting in a chain of supernatural events being set into motion that wreak havoc on the man's present marriage.
Genres: Comedy Fantasy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-04-05
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Brief Encounter
1945-11-24
Brief Encounter
Overview: Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1945-11-24
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Hearts of the World
1918-03-11
Hearts of the World
Overview: A group of youngsters grow up and love in a peaceful French village. But war intrudes and peace is shattered. The German army invades and occupies village, bringing both destruction and torture. The young people of the village resist, some successfully, others tragically, until French troops retake the town.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1918-03-11
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Androcles and the Lion
1967-11-15
Androcles and the Lion
Overview: The story of Androcles, the simple-hearted Christian tailor whose friendship with a lion saves himself and his friends from martyrdom in the Roman Colosseum.
Genres: Music TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-11-15
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Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991-10-28
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Overview: This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s. Interviews with actors Frank Sinatra, Vincent Price, James Stewart, Michael Caine, and others who worked with the flamboyant and sometimes control-obsessed director add information and insight to the story.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-10-28
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