Coward, Sir Noel Pierce

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Coward, Sir Noel Pierce (1899–1973) English playwright, composer, and performer. He first attracted notice as a playwright with his drama The Vortex (1924), and later with his urbane comedies such as Hay Fever (1925), Bitter Sweet (1929), Private Lives (1930), and Blithe Spirit (1941). His plays frequently lampooned drab high-society etiquette. Other works include the films In Which We Serve (1942) and Brief Encounter (1945). He also composed hundreds of songs, such as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” and “Mad About the Boy”.

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