Author. He was the British-born creator of Doctor Dolittle, a well-known character of children's fiction. Dolittle is a gentle veterinarian who can communicate with his animal patients in their own languages. He shuns most human contact, preferring the company of his pets Chee-Chee the monkey, Dub-Dub the duck, Gub-Gub the pig, the dog Jip, and a strange two-headed beast called the Pushmi-Pullyu. The stories take place in Victorian England and are mostly set in the fictional village of Puddleby-on-Marsh. Dolittle made his first appearance in the novel "The Story of Doctor Dolittle" (1920). A sequel, "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle" (1922), won Lofting the 1923 Newbery Medal, an award usually reserved for American authors. The books were so popular Lofting continued the series with 10 more titles, among them "Doctor Dolittle's Circus" (1924), "Doctor Dolittle in the Moon" (1928), "Doctor Dolittle Returns" (1933), and "Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake" (1948). He illustrated these adventures himself. Hugh John Lofting was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, of Irish descent. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the London Polytechnic, and traveled widely as a civil engineer. During World War I he served as an officer in the British Army's Irish Guards. The Dolittle character originated in letters Lofting wrote to his children from the trenches, after observing the lack of compassion shown to wounded horses on the battlefield. In 1918 he suffered serious shrapnel wounds and was invalided out of the service. Lofting spent the rest of his life in the United States, living in Connecticut and Los Angeles. In his only book for adults, "Victory for the Slain" (1942), he expressed his pacifist views on World War II. After Lofting's death two more Dolittle novels, "Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary" (1950) and "Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures" (1952), were edited from his unpublished manuscripts. In films Lofting's unique character has been portrayed by Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy, and has also been the subject of a TV cartoon series and a Broadway musical.

Author. He was the British-born creator of Doctor Dolittle, a well-known character of children's fiction. Dolittle is a gentle veterinarian who can communicate with his animal patients in their own languages. He shuns most human contact, preferring the company of his pets Chee-Chee the monkey, Dub-Dub the duck, Gub-Gub the pig, the dog Jip, and a strange two-headed beast called the Pushmi-Pullyu. The stories take place in Victorian England and are mostly set in the fictional village of Puddleby-on-Marsh. Dolittle made his first appearance in the novel "The Story of Doctor Dolittle" (1920). A sequel, "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle" (1922), won Lofting the 1923 Newbery Medal, an award usually reserved for American authors. The books were so popular Lofting continued the series with 10 more titles, among them "Doctor Dolittle's Circus" (1924), "Doctor Dolittle in the Moon" (1928), "Doctor Dolittle Returns" (1933), and "Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake" (1948). He illustrated these adventures himself. Hugh John Lofting was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, of Irish descent. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the London Polytechnic, and traveled widely as a civil engineer. During World War I he served as an officer in the British Army's Irish Guards. The Dolittle character originated in letters Lofting wrote to his children from the trenches, after observing the lack of compassion shown to wounded horses on the battlefield. In 1918 he suffered serious shrapnel wounds and was invalided out of the service. Lofting spent the rest of his life in the United States, living in Connecticut and Los Angeles. In his only book for adults, "Victory for the Slain" (1942), he expressed his pacifist views on World War II. After Lofting's death two more Dolittle novels, "Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary" (1950) and "Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures" (1952), were edited from his unpublished manuscripts. In films Lofting's unique character has been portrayed by Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy, and has also been the subject of a TV cartoon series and a Broadway musical.

Bio by: Bobb Edwards