Ray Cooney

Ray Cooney began his theatrical career as a boy actor in Song of Norway at the Palace Theatre in 1946. He played with Brian Rix in Dry Rot and Simple Spymen at the Whitehall, and then began a writing career which, to date, has sent 18 plays to the West End, including One for the Pot, Not Now, Darling, Move Over, Mrs. Markham, There Goes the Bride, Chase Me, Comrade!, Why Not Stay for Breakfast?, Wife Begins at Forty, Run for Your Wife, Two Into One, Out of Order, It Runs in the Family, Funny Money, Caught in the Net, and Tom, Dick and Harry. In addition to his stage work, his plays have been made into dozens of films in English and in a host of other languages, including French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Greek, Spanish and Swedish. In 1983, Mr. Cooney formed the Theatre of Comedy Company (bringing together the founding members consisting of 30 West End stars) and he became its first Artistic Director. During Mr. Cooney’s tenure, the company produced over 20 plays. During his time with the Theatre of Comedy Company and throughout his career, Mr. Cooney has continued to act, direct and produce while he writes.