born Oct. 15, 1881, Guildford, Surrey, Eng.
died Feb. 14, 1975, Southampton, N.Y., U.S.
English-born U.S. novelist, short-story writer, lyricist, and playwright.
He lived for long periods in the U.S. and France after 1909, and he settled in the U.S. after World War II. He is best known as the creator of the character of the young bachelor Bertie Wooster and his effortlessly superior manservant, Jeeves, who appeared in comic stories and novels from "Extricating Young Gussie" (1915) to Much Obliged, Jeeves (1971). Wodehouse wrote more than 90 books and 20 film scripts and collaborated on many plays and musical comedies, writing lyrics for Jerome Kern ( Leave It to Jane, 1917; Show Boat , 1927), George Gershwin ( Oh, Kay! , 1926), and others.