Background: He was born and raised in Teddington, Gloucestershire. He began acting in January 1911 at the age of 12, playing Prince Mussel in The Goldfish by Lila Field. At 14 he appeared in Peter Pan. He also appeared as a teenager in a D. W. Griffith film.

Work: His first play was written with Esme Wynne in 1917. He was first sole author of his own play with 'I'll Leave It to You', in 1920. He shot to fame in 1924 as the writer and star of the play 'The Vortex'. His work is full of frivolity, satire, and wit. He never referred publicly to his own homosexuality, and would not allow his biographer Sheridan Morley to mention it, because of fears of losing royalties. He seemed to believe that the public was unsure about his sexuality, despite him writing and singing songs like 'Mad About the Boy'. His 'A Song at Twilight' has the closeted character Sir Hugh Latymer who is based on Somerset Maugham. His play Point Valaine is dedicated to Somerset Maugham.
Noël Coward himself is the model for the character Beverly Carlton in 'The Man Who Came to Dinner', (1939), by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.
Later in life, when his plays were out of favour, he mostly earned his living as a cabaret performer, singing such songs as Mad Dogs and Englishmen (from his review Words and Music), Why Must the Show Go On? and There Are Bad Times Just Around the Corner.
He appeared in films, for example 'The Italian Job' (1969).

Greatest Achievements: In 1999 Noël Coward's archive of 60 plays and more than 300 popular songs was bequeathed to Birmingham University by his long time companion, Graham Payn.
There is a Blue Plaque at 131 Waldegrave Road, Teddington where Noël Coward was born. Another Blue Plaque is 56 Lenham Road, Sutton where he lived.
His single greatest achievement can be said to be his staying power and influence in the theatrical world.

Friends & Relationships: Noël Coward visited Jamaica during the Second World War and fell in love with it. In 1947 he built a home called Blue Harbour on the north coast of the island. He soon found that he attracted a lot of celebrity visitors and built a second home as a retreat called Firefly. Among his visitors were John Gielgud, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and Cecil Beaton. Other celebrities who also had homes in the area included Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Ivor Novello and Ian Fleming.

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