Name John Wilson | Role Theatre Director | |
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Died October 29, 1961, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States Marriage location Fairfield, Connecticut, United States Similar People Natalia Pavlovna Paley, Princess Olga Paley, Irina Paley, Grand Duke Paul Alexandr, Vladimir Paley | ||
John C. "Jack" Wilson (August 19, 1899 - October 29, 1961) was an American theatre director and producer.
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Early life
Born in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker. He married Natalia Pavlovna Paley on 8 September 1937 in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was a marriage of convenience. Wilson was intelligent, rich and a good companion. Natalia's name and social skills were assets to his business as a Broadway producer. Princess Paley liked her husband's humor, and his homosexuality suited her distaste for physical love. They had no children.
Career
During the run of The Vortex by Noël Coward in 1924, Wilson met Coward and soon became his business manager and lover. Wilson used his position to steal from Coward, but the playwright was in love and accepted both the larceny and Wilson's heavy drinking.
Wilson began his theatre career in 1931 as General Manager for the original Broadway production of Coward's hit play Private Lives. He began producing shows on Broadway in 1935, including Coward's Tonight at 8:30 in 1936 and Set to Music in 1939. Wilson's first project as a director was another Coward work, Blithe Spirit, in 1941.