Contents
Cole Porter
Writing witty, sophisticated songs for musicals including Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate.
Anything Goes · I’ve Got You Under My Skin
- Born
- 9 June 1891
- Birthplace
- Peru, Indiana, United States
- Died
- 15 October 1964
More people
Cole Porter
Cole Porter was an American composer and lyricist who wrote both words and music for his songs. Elaborate rhymes, emotional ambiguity and memorable melodies made many of them standards beyond the stage.
Early life
Indiana family
Grew up in a wealthy household and learned piano and violin.
College songs
Wrote music at Yale before briefly attending Harvard Law School.
Career
- 1910s
Early theatre
Tried Broadway composition before living in Europe.
- 1920s–1930s
Stage success
Established himself through revues and major musicals.
- 1940s–1950s
Later shows
Continued composing for Broadway and films despite serious physical disability.
Selected work
Anything Goes
A shipboard musical with a string of enduring songs.
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Song introduced in the film Born to Dance.
Kiss Me, Kate
A backstage musical built around The Taming of the Shrew.
Beyond work
Marriage
Married Linda Lee Thomas in 1919.
Riding accident
A 1937 accident caused severe leg injuries and years of operations.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: unattributed, see link. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
