Ivor Novello, born David Ivor Davies on 15 January 1893 in Cardiff, Wales, was a Welsh composer, actor and singer from a musical family. His first major hit was "Keep the Home Fires Burning" (1914), propelling him to write songs for wartime revues such as Theodore & Co (1916) and Arlette (1917). In the 1920s he also acted, appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger (1927) and other silent films, while composing operetta‑style shows including Glamorous Night (1935), Careless Rapture (1936), The Dancing Years (1939) and Perchance to Dream (1945). Post‑war successes included King’s Rhapsody (1949) and Gay’s the Word (1951). Novello died of a coronary thrombosis on 6 March 1951. The Ivor Novello Awards were established in 1955.
