David Coward – An American Actor, Writer, Director, and Physicist

When you think of a coward, you likely immediately picture someone who is afraid to face life’s obstacles. Cowards are often seen as those lacking courage and determination in pursuit of what they believe in.

David Coward is a man who never backs down from any challenge in life. As an accomplished pigeon racer, David has won numerous competitions.

Early Life and Education

David Coward was born in Jackson County, North Carolina and was raised surrounded by Christian values that formed the basis of his renowned career as a writer, director, actor, and composer.

He was greatly inspired by Victorian comedian Sir Charles Hawtrey, who imparted to him the art of comic acting. His plays showcased sophistication and elegance while also reflecting a post-World War I generation that felt the effects of globalization.

He is widely considered one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, with an extensive repertoire that includes over 50 plays such as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit. Furthermore, he had a knack for musical theatre – 13 stage musicals to his credit – with many classic songs written by him that have endured throughout time.

Professional Career

David Coward had an illustrious career as a playwright, composer, and actor. From his teens onwards he created over 50 plays which have since been part of the standard theatre repertoire.

His wit and flamboyance were the hallmark of his performances, and he was an accomplished singer-songwriter. In addition to hundreds of songs, he composed 12 musical theatre works (including the operetta Bitter Sweet and comic revues), screenplays, poetry collections, short story collections and an autobiography that captured his essence.

In the early 1940s, Coward collaborated with director David Lean on a quartet of plays and films, including In Which We Serve – an inspiring British wartime propaganda film adapted from Louis Mountbatten’s account of life aboard HMS Kelly before it sank. This adaptation won an Academy Award for its artistic merit.

Achievements and Honors

In physics, Coward was part of a team that discovered quarks. For this feat he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990.

Coward’s paintings often depict tropical landscapes, where he found inspiration in the changing light and hues throughout the day.

Throughout World War II, Coward was an active participant in the war effort as both a playwright and screenwriter. His works such as Blithe Spirit, This Happy Breed and Present Laughter (all 1943) were adapted into movies.

Throughout the war, Coward worked for the British Secret Service and was listed in The Black Book–a list of people the Nazis wanted to arrest or murder if they invaded Britain.

Personal Life

David Coward was an acclaimed writer, actor and director with a storied career. His plays reflected the world-weariness of his age while his songs had both sentimental and humorous undertones.

David Coward had a complicated personal life, which Oliver Soden beautifully captures in Masquerade: The Lives of Noel Coward (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), which highlights all his contradictions.

Coward had some moderate success with The Young Idea in 1923, but The Vortex (1924), featuring subtle references to drug abuse and homosexuality, catapulted him into international stardom. Subsequently, Coward scored three more major hits with Hay Fever, Fallen Angels and Easy Virtue.

Net Worth

David Coward is an American actor, singer-songwriter, director and businessman with a net worth of $10.5 Million. He owns a home in Flower Mound, TX and earns an annual salary from Exact Sciences Corp of $500,702.

He has traded Exact Sciences stock 42 times since 2016, selling his shares on February 27th 2023 for $569,936. As of that date, he owns over 30,921 shares of the stock.

Stanford faculty and SRT company members explore Coward’s impact, from modernism to his role in the creative explosion of the 1920s. He made numerous appearances as both actor and screenwriter; expressed his opinion regarding World War I through Post Mortem; explored Coward and painting; and participated in a panel with SRT artists that discussed interpreting and directing Coward plays.