Douglas Adams was an English writer, comedian, and radio dramatist, best known as the author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. He was born in Cambridge, England in 1952, the only child of two teachers. He was educated at Brentwood School in Essex and St John’s College, Cambridge, where he studied English, and was a member of the Footlights comedy club.
Adams began his career as a comedy writer and performer on the BBC Radio 4 show The Burkiss Way in 1977, and went on to write for a number of other popular radio and television shows, including Doctor Who and Monty Python's Flying Circus. He is credited with coining the phrase “Don’t Panic”, which became popular in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Adams is most famous for his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series of books, which began as a BBC radio series in 1978 and was later adapted into a novel, a television series, and a number of stage shows and other media. The series follows the adventures of Arthur Dent, who, after being rescued from the destruction of the Earth by his alien friend Ford Prefect, embarks on a journey through the galaxy in search of the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.
Adams was an outspoken advocate for environmental causes, and in 2001 he was appointed an honorary vice-president of the British Humanist Association. He was also an avid computer programmer, and he was one of the first authors to write a novel using a computer.
Adams’ books have been translated into over 30 languages, and his work has been adapted into many forms of popular culture. He died in 2001 at the age of 49, after suffering a heart attack while exercising. His legacy lives on in the millions of people around the world who have been inspired by his works.
