Noël Coward Net Worth

What was Noël Coward's Net Worth?

Sir Noël Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer who had a net worth of $7 million at the time of his death. That's the same as around $50 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.

Renowned for his urbane, witty, and flamboyant style, Noël Coward penned such popular plays as "Private Lives," "Design for Living," "Present Laughter," and "Blithe Spirit," and wrote, produced, starred in, and co-directed the 1942 war film "In Which We Serve." Among his other activities, Coward briefly ran the British propaganda office in Paris and worked with the British Secret Service during World War II.

Early Life and Education

Noël Coward was born on December 16, 1899 in Teddington, England, a suburb of London. His mother was Violet, and his father was Arthur, a piano salesman. Coward was the second of three sons, the eldest of whom had passed away at the age of six in 1898. He took to performing at an early age, and was already appearing in amateur concerts by the time he was seven. Coward attended the Chapel Royal Choir School before going to a dance academy. He acted in many children's plays during his youth, including "The Goldfish," "Where the Rainbow Ends," and "Peter Pan."

Career Beginnings

As a young adult during World War I, Coward appeared in such plays as "The Happy Family," "Charley's Aunt," and "The Saving Grace." Although he was conscripted in 1918, he was deemed unfit for active service due to a tubercular tendency. That year, Coward had an uncredited part in D. W. Griffith's film "Hearts of the World." He also wrote his first play as a solo playwright, entitled "The Rat Trap." In 1919, he wrote the play "I'll Leave it to You," which he also starred in on the West End. Coward followed that with the plays "The Better Half" and "The Young Idea" and the musical revue "London Calling!"

Rise to Fame in the 1920s

In 1924, Coward had something of a breakthrough with his play "The Vortex," about a nymphomaniac socialite and her cocaine-addled son. The play's transgressive subject matter both shocked and compelled audiences. A success in both England and the United States, "The Vortex" put Coward in high demand in the theater world. He followed it with the comedy plays "Fallen Angels" and "Hay Fever," both successes after premiering in 1925. The year after that, Coward starred in the London premiere of "The Constant Nymph." Due to his relentless work schedule, he collapsed around this time and was told by doctors to rest for a month. Ignoring the advice, Coward went to the US for his play "This Was a Man," and collapsed again. After recuperating, he resumed producing plays, including "The Queen Was in the Parlour," "The Marquise," "Home Chat," and "Sirocco." Coward also wrote the musical revue "This Year of Grace" and the operetta "Bitter Sweet." By the end of the 1920s, he was among the highest-earning writers in the world.

(Photo by David Cairns/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Continued Success in the 1930s

Coward penned a string of hit plays in the early 1930s, including the comedies "Private Lives" and "Design for Living" and the historical epic "Cavalcade." He also starred in "Private Lives" opposite Gertrude Lawrence. In 1933, Coward wrote, directed, and starred in the musical "Conversation Piece." A few years later, he wrote, directed, and starred in "Tonight at 8.30," a cycle of ten one-act plays co-starring Lawrence. Coward went on to write the musical "Operette" and the musical revue "Set to Music" in 1938. He followed those with the plays "This Happy Breed" and "Present Laughter," which were written in 1939 and first performed in 1942. Coward wrote many of his most famous songs during the 1930s, including "I'll See You Again" and "Mad Dogs and Englishmen."

World War II Era

During World War II, Coward left the theater and began running the British propaganda office in Paris. However, he despised working there, and soon left to work with the British Secret Service. Coward's role was to use his fame to sway American public opinion toward helping Britain in the war. Winston Churchill felt Coward would be of more use as an entertainer, so Coward heeded his advice and went on tour entertaining the troops around the world. He wrote and recorded some popular war-themed songs during this time, including "London Pride" and "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans." Coward also continued writing plays, with his most famous being the comedy "Blithe Spirit," about a novelist who is accosted by the ghost of his first wife. The play was a massive hit on the West End in 1941, and subsequently transferred to Broadway. Coward had further success in 1942 as the writer, producer, co-director, and star of the war film "In Which We Serve," with David Lean as the other director. The film was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic and earned Coward an Academy Honorary Award.

Postwar Career

Following the war, Coward penned such plays as "Peace in Our Time," "Relative Values," "South Sea Bubble," and "Quadrille." He also wrote the revue "Sigh No More" and the musicals "Pacific 1860" and "Ace of Clubs," both of which were commercial flops. Coward had better success resuming his cabaret act from the war, with a particularly lucrative act in Las Vegas. He also appeared in the 1950s films "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Our Man in Havana." In 1960, Coward published his first and only novel, "Pomp and Circumstance." The next year, he had his most successful postwar musical with "Sail Away," which premiered on Broadway before moving to the West End in 1962. Coward later directed the hit 1964 Broadway musical adaptation of his play "Blithe Spirit," entitled "High Spirits." He had his final theater success with the play trilogy "Suite in Three Keys," which he also starred in; it premiered in 1966. Over the subsequent years, Coward had roles in such films as "Boom!" and "The Italian Job." Although his career was soon over, his plays continued to be produced around the world, gaining him new popularity among younger generations.

Personal Life and Death

Coward was gay, although he did not discuss his sexuality publicly. He dated such men as playwright Keith Winter, actor Louis Hayward, composer Ned Rorem, and stockbroker Jack Wilson, who served as his manager. Coward also allegedly had affairs with society painter Philip Streatfeild and Prince George, Duke of Kent. His longest-lasting romantic relationship was with South African stage actor Graham Payn, whom he was with from the mid-1940s until Coward's passing. Coward lived for 30 years at the historic Goldenhurst Farm in Aldington, Kent. After leaving Britain in the 1950s for tax reasons, he lived in Bermuda. Coward later purchased homes in Jamaica and Switzerland.

By the late 1960s, Coward had developed arteriosclerosis and was having memory problems. He retired from acting, and in 1970 he was knighted. On March 26, 1973, Coward passed away from heart failure at his Firefly Estate in Jamaica. His body was interred at the property three days later.

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