Douglas Adams(1952-2001)
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
Born Douglas Noel Adams on March 11, 1952 in Cambridge. From 1959 until
1970 he went to Brentwood school in Essex, and his main interest was
science. As a student in Cambridge he decided to hitch-hike through
Europe to Istanbul, and in order to raise funds for this he took a lot
of small jobs. In 1970 he left school to become a writer, certain that
success was just around the corner. But nothing happened. He worked
with the late Monty Python member
Graham Chapman and
John Lloyd, but hardly anything they
did was published.
On February 4 1977 he met
Simon Brett, who then was doing
Radio 4's 'The Burkiss Way'. They agreed to produce a science fiction
comedy show on radio. This was the birth of the Hitch-hikers Guide to
the Galaxy.
Douglas Adams married Jane Belson on November 24 1991 and they have a
daughter by the name Polly Jane, born on June 22, 1994. They lived in
Islington, but in 1999 they moved to California, USA. In 1997 Douglas
signed a deal with Disney to make a feature movie, and he immediately
started working on the screenplay. Jay Roach,
of Austin Powers fame, was signed as director.
On the morning of May 11 2001, Adams went to the local gym to work out.
There he suffered a massive heart attack and all attempts to revive him
were unsuccessful. He died, and left his 6 year old daughter Polly, his
wife Jane, his mother Jan Thrift, brother James and countless other
family members and friends, not to mention thousands and thousands of
fans all over the world, in shock and mourning.
Author of the hysterically funny series of books, summarized as
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which also include a radio series,
a TV series, stage play, record albums, computer game, graphic novels
and a bath towel.
He also wrote the Dirk Gently novels and a non fiction book, "Last
Chance to See", about endangered species. Apart from being a writer, he
was also a chicken shed cleaner, bodyguard for an Arab royal family and
he actually at one time played guitar for Pink Floyd (42nd birthday
gift from David Gilmour, an old
friend).
Douglas co-founded the company The Digital Village (now h2g2),
producing nearly everything that has to do with media: TV, movies,
computer games etc. He was one of the creators of Starship Titanic, a
combined book (co-written with
Terry Jones of the Monty Python
bunch) and computer game.
It was often claimed that P.G. Wodehouse
had influence on him and his work, and when once asked about this he
replied: "Yes, a huge impact. But not an early impact. I didn't start
reading Wodehouse until I was writing 'Restaurant at the end of the
universe'. I can see the impact starting almost immediately. I think
that Wodehouse, without exaggeration, was a genius on the English
language."
1970 he went to Brentwood school in Essex, and his main interest was
science. As a student in Cambridge he decided to hitch-hike through
Europe to Istanbul, and in order to raise funds for this he took a lot
of small jobs. In 1970 he left school to become a writer, certain that
success was just around the corner. But nothing happened. He worked
with the late Monty Python member
Graham Chapman and
John Lloyd, but hardly anything they
did was published.
On February 4 1977 he met
Simon Brett, who then was doing
Radio 4's 'The Burkiss Way'. They agreed to produce a science fiction
comedy show on radio. This was the birth of the Hitch-hikers Guide to
the Galaxy.
Douglas Adams married Jane Belson on November 24 1991 and they have a
daughter by the name Polly Jane, born on June 22, 1994. They lived in
Islington, but in 1999 they moved to California, USA. In 1997 Douglas
signed a deal with Disney to make a feature movie, and he immediately
started working on the screenplay. Jay Roach,
of Austin Powers fame, was signed as director.
On the morning of May 11 2001, Adams went to the local gym to work out.
There he suffered a massive heart attack and all attempts to revive him
were unsuccessful. He died, and left his 6 year old daughter Polly, his
wife Jane, his mother Jan Thrift, brother James and countless other
family members and friends, not to mention thousands and thousands of
fans all over the world, in shock and mourning.
Author of the hysterically funny series of books, summarized as
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which also include a radio series,
a TV series, stage play, record albums, computer game, graphic novels
and a bath towel.
He also wrote the Dirk Gently novels and a non fiction book, "Last
Chance to See", about endangered species. Apart from being a writer, he
was also a chicken shed cleaner, bodyguard for an Arab royal family and
he actually at one time played guitar for Pink Floyd (42nd birthday
gift from David Gilmour, an old
friend).
Douglas co-founded the company The Digital Village (now h2g2),
producing nearly everything that has to do with media: TV, movies,
computer games etc. He was one of the creators of Starship Titanic, a
combined book (co-written with
Terry Jones of the Monty Python
bunch) and computer game.
It was often claimed that P.G. Wodehouse
had influence on him and his work, and when once asked about this he
replied: "Yes, a huge impact. But not an early impact. I didn't start
reading Wodehouse until I was writing 'Restaurant at the end of the
universe'. I can see the impact starting almost immediately. I think
that Wodehouse, without exaggeration, was a genius on the English
language."