Peter Coe

Peter Leonard Coe (18 April 1929 – 25 May 1987), was an English film and theatre director and actor.

Early life Coe was born in London on 18 April 1929 and graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Career After beginning his career as an actor, Coe staged dramas, musicals and operas across several continents in a long career. His first London success came in 1959 with the musical Lock Up Your Daughters and by 1961 he had three hits running simultaneously. He also directed both the West End and Broadway productions of Oliver! as well as its U.S. national tour and the 1983 London and 1984 Broadway revivals.

His operatic credits included The Love of Three Oranges, The Angel of Fire, and Ernani.

In 1981 Coe received an Antoinette Perry Award nomination as Best Director for A Life, and in 1982 he won the award for his revival of Othello.

His appointments included artistic director for the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Canada in 1980, and the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, in United States and prior to his death artistic director of the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, Kent.

Awards and nominations He was thrice nominated for the Tony Award on Broadway; in 1963 for Best Director (musical) for Oliver!, 1981 for Best Director (play) for A Life before winning for Best Director (drama) with Othello in 1982.

Theatre productions Production Playwright Venue Year Lock Up Your Daughters Musical by Lionel Bart Mermaid Theatre, London 1959 The World of Suzie Wong Paul Osborne Prince of Wales Theatre, London 1959 The Miracle Worker William Gibson London 1961 The World of Suzie Wong Paul Osborn London 1961 Oliver! Musical written by Lionel Bart New Theatre, London 1961 Castle in Sweden Francois Sagan Piccadilly Theatre, London 1962 Caligula Phoenix Theatre, London 1964 Golden Boy Clifford Odets 1964 Oliver! Written by Lionel Bart Hanna Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio 1964 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 1966 The Italian Straw Hat Chichester Festival Theatre 1967 The Skin of Our Teeth Chichester Festival Theatre 1969 Oliver! Piccadilly Theatre, London 1968 revival The Caucasian Chalk Circle Chichester Festival Theatre 1969 Kiss Me, Kate London Coliseum 1970 Peer Gynt Chichester Festival Theatre 1970 Hamlet William Shakespeare Bankside Globe Playhouse, London 1972 Decameron '73 Roundhouse, London 1973 Tonight We Improvise Chichester Festival Theatre 1974 Mister Lincoln 1980 On the Twentieth Century Her Majesty's Theatre, London 1980 Barnum London Palladium 1981 Henry V William Shakespeare Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut 1981 Hamlet Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut 1982 Othello William Shakespeare Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut 1982 revival Barnum London Palladium 1983 revival Oliver! London 1983 revival Hello Dolly Birmingham Rep and Prince of Wales Theatre with Danny La Rue Barnum Manchester Opera House 1984 revival with Wendy Toye Great Expectations Birmingham Rep and The Old Vic, London 1984 Oliver! Broadway 1984 revival Jane Eyre Chichester Festival Theatre 1986

Filmography Lock Up Your Daughters (1969) Barnum (1981) Mr Lincoln (1981)