Cosmo Hamilton (29 April 1870 – 14 October 1942), born Henry Charles Hamilton Gibbs, was an English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

. He was the brother of writers Arthur Hamilton Gibbs, Francis William Hamilton Gibbs, Helen Katherine Hamilton Gibbs and Sir Philip Gibbs.

Biography

Hamilton was born in Norwood. He took his mother's

maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also u ...

when he began to write. Hamilton was married twice: first to Beryl Faber, née Crossley Smith, who died in 1912. (She was the sister of actor C. Aubrey Smith.) Hamilton then married Julia Bolton, the former wife of playwright Guy Bolton. His London musicals include '' The Catch of the Season'' (1904), '' The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906), '' The Beauty of Bath'' (1906). During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

Hamilton was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

. He later wrote a number of Broadway shows and many screenplays, and his novels were the basis for several films. In her April 1922 theater column, Dorothy Parker's review of Hamilton's Broadway play ''Danger'' remarked on the salacious content of Hamilton's plays: "There can longer be any doubt that it was from Cosmo Hamilton that the cosmic urge derived its name. Not even his own press agent could claim for Mr. Hamilton that it was he who conceived the notion of sex, but certainly he has given most of his life to capitalizing the idea. It has often been observed that if there were no such thing as sex, everything would be a lot better off. But then we must remember before we agree with the statement that were there no such thing, Mr. Hamilton would have nothing to write about." Hamilton died, aged 72, in Guildford, England.

Works

Hamilton wrote dozens of novels, averaging a novel per year most of his adult life. His novels include: *''Plain Brown'' (1909) *''A Plea for the Younger Generation'' (1913) *''The Door that Has No Key'' (1913) *''The Miracle of Love'' (1914) *''The Sins of the Children'' (1916) *''Two Kings and Other Romances'' (1917) *''Who Cares? A Story of Adolescence'' (1919) *''The Rustle of Silk'' (1922) *''Paradise'' (read on radio 1925) *''His Majesty, the King: A Romantic Love Chase of the Seventeenth Century'' (1926) (historical novel about Charles II).Daniel D. McGarry, Sarah Harriman White, ''Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels''. Scarecrow Press, 1963 (p.166) Hamilton's Broadway productions include: * ''The Proud Laird'' (1905) * ''The Catch of the Season'' (1905) * ''The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906-1907) * ''The Hoyden'' (1907-1908) * ''The Master Key'' (1909) * ''The Blindness of Virtue'' (1912) * ''Flora Bella'' (1916) * ''The Star Gazer'' (1917) * ''Scandal'' (1919-1920) * ''An Exchange of Wives'' (1919) * ''The Silver Fox'' (1921) * ''Danger'' (1921-1922) * ''The New Poor'' (1924) * ''Parasites'' (1924-1925) * ''Pickwick'' (1927) * ''Caste'' (1927)

Filmography

*', directed by Joseph Byron Totten (1915, based on the novel ''The Blindness of Virtue'') *''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'', directed by

Charles Giblyn Charles Giblyn (September 6, 1871 – March 14, 1934) was an American film director and actor of the silent era. He directed nearly 100 films between 1912 and 1927. He also appeared in 23 films between 1914 and 1934. He was one of the founde ...

(1917, based on the novel ''Scandal'') *''The Sins of the Children'', directed by John S. Lopez (1918, based on the novel ''The Sins of the Children'') *'' Day Dreams'', directed by Clarence G. Badger (1919, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' Who Cares?'', directed by Walter Edwards (1919, based on the novel ''Who Cares?'') *'' Restless Souls'', directed by

William C. Dowlan William C. Dowlan (September 21, 1882 – November 6, 1947) was an American stage performer and a film actor and director during the silent era. Most of his directorial projects were done in collaboration with his wife, screenwriter Leonora ...

(1919, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' One Week of Life'', directed by

Hobart Henley Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887 – May 22, 1964) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He was involved in over 60 films either as an actor or director or both in his twenty-year career ...

(1919, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' Men, Women, and Money'', directed by

George Melford George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and director. Often taken for granted as a director today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B. DeMil ...

(1919, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' The Miracle of Love'', directed by Robert Z. Leonard (1919, based on the novel ''The Miracle of Love'') *'' Eve in Exile'', directed by Burton George (1919, based on the novel ''Eve in Exile'') *'' Duke's Son'', directed by

Franklin Dyall Frank Poole Dyall (3 February 1870– 8 May 1950), professionally known as Franklin Dyall, was an English actor. In his early years he was a member of the companies of the actor-managers George Alexander, Ben Greet, John Martin-Harvey and ...

(UK, 1920, based on the novel ''Duke's Son'') *'' The Week-End'', directed by

George L. Cox George L. Cox (1878–1947) was an American actor and film director.Goble p.803 Selected filmography * ''The House of Toys'' (1920) * ''The Gamesters'' (1920) * ''The Week-End'' (1920) * ''The Thirtieth Piece of Silver'' (1920) * '' A Light Woma ...

(1920, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' Midsummer Madness'', directed by William C. deMille (1921, based on the novel ''His Friend and His Wife'') *''

The Door That Has No Key ''The Door That Has No Key'' is a 1921 silent British drama film directed by Frank Hall Crane. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * George Relph as Jack Scorrier * Betty Faire as Margaret Hubbard * Evelyn Brent as Violet Melton * W ...

'', directed by

Frank Hall Crane Frank Hall Crane (January 1, 1873 – September 1, 1948) was an American stage and film actor and director.

(UK, 1921, based on the novel ''The Door That Has No Key'') *'' The Princess of New York'', directed by

Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...

(UK, 1921, based on the novel ''The Princess of New York'') *''

Wealth Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

'', directed by

William Desmond Taylor William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner, 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Cinema of the United States, Hollywood motion picture colony o ...

(1921, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' Reckless Youth'', directed by

Ralph Ince Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John E. Ince and Thomas H. Ince. Biog ...

(1922, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *''

The Rustle of Silk ''The Rustle of Silk'' is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Betty Compson. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the 1922 novel by writer C ...

'', directed by

Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...

(1923, based on the novel ''The Rustle of Silk'') *'' Another Scandal'', directed by Edward H. Griffith (1924, based on the novel ''Another Scandal'') *'' Who Cares'', directed by David Kirkland (1925, based on the novel ''Who Cares?'') *'' Exchange of Wives'', directed by

(1925, based on the play ''Exchange of Wives'') *''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

'', directed by

Irvin Willat Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early in his career ...

(1926, based on the novel ''Paradise'') *''

Restless Youth ''Restless Youth'' is a 1928 silent American melodrama film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Marceline Day, Ralph Forbes, and Norman Trevor, and was released on November 30, 1928. The film's plot came from a story by Cosmo Hamilton. Cast ...

'', directed by

Christy Cabanne William Christy Cabanne (April 16, 1888 – October 15, 1950) was an American film director, screenwriter, and silent film actor. Biography Born in 1888, Cabanne (pronounced CAB-a-nay) started his career on stage as an actor and director. He a ...

(1928, based on a story by Cosmo Hamilton) *'' The Three Passions'', directed by Rex Ingram (UK, 1928, based on the novel ''The Three Passions'') *'' The Perfect Gentleman'', directed by

Tim Whelan Tim Whelan (November 2, 1893 – August 12, 1957) was an American film director, writer, producer and actor best remembered for his writing credits on ''Harold Lloyd'' and '' Harry Langdon'' comedies, and his directing of mostly British films (e. ...

(1935, based on the story ''The Prodigal Father'') *''

The Exile ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', directed by

Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...

(1947, based on the novel ''His Majesty, the King'')

References

Other sources

* ''Twentieth Century Authors: A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature'', edited by

Stanley J. Kunitz Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

and Howard Haycraft, New York, The H. W. Wilson Company, 1942.

External links

* * *
Site includes list of Hamilton's novels
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Cosmo 1870 births 1942 deaths 20th-century English novelists Royal Navy officers of World War I Writers from London English male novelists 20th-century English male writers English historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period