Actor, composer, songwriter, and playwright, born in Cardiff, S Wales, UK. He studied at Oxford, where he was a chorister. His song Keep the Home Fires Burning was one of the most popular of World War 1. He first appeared on the regular stage in London in 1921 and enjoyed great popularity, his most successful and characteristic works being his Ruritanian musical plays such as Glamorous Night (1935), The Dancing Years (1939), and King's Rhapsody (1949).
David Ivor Davies (January 15, 1893 – March 6, 1951), better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the early 20th century. Novello starred in two early films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The Lodger (1927) and Downhill (1927).
Novello wrote his musical shows in the style of operetta, and was one of the last major composers in this form.
Novello was homosexual, well known for some of his more glamorous gay affairs.
The Ivor Novello Award, a prize awarded for songwriting, is awarded each year by the record industry to song writers and arrangers rather than the performing artistes.
Novello was portrayed in Robert Altman's fictional film Gosford Park (2001) by Jeremy Northam and several of his songs were used for the film's soundtrack.
His memory continues to be promoted by The Ivor Novello Appreciation Bureau, who hold annual events around Britain, including an annual pilgrimage to Redroofs in Littlewick Green in June.
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