Writer. Born in Cambridge, England. Educated at Cambridge University, Adams worked as a writer and script editor at the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). In 1978, his science fiction comedy series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, debuted on BBC radio. Featuring a group of interplanetary travelers with strange names (Zaphod Beeblebrox, Marvin the Paranoid Android) and unique outlooks on life, The Hitchhiker's Guide attracted millions of fans. Adams adapted it into a book, which sold 14 million copies and spawned several sequels, including The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, and So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish; it was also turned into a television series.

After the tremendous success of The HitchhikerÕs Guide, Adams wrote several detective novels, a book about endangered species of wildlife called Last Chance to See, and The Meaning of Liff, a satirical dictionary (with John Lloyd). Digital Village, a multimedia company Adams founded, produced a computer game, Starship Titanic, and an online travel guide along the lines of The HitchhikerÕs Guide.

On May 11, 2001, Adams died suddenly, apparently of a heart attack, at the age of 49. He was survived by his wife of 10 years, Jane Belson, and their daughter, Polly. At the time of his death, Adams had reportedly been at work for several years on a screenplay for a feature film version of The HitchhikerÕs Guide.