Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, is a distinguished English novelist and a former politician. Born on 15 April 1940, Archer was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth (Lincolnshire) from 1969 to 1974. He chose not to seek re-election after a financial scandal nearly led to bankruptcy.

Archer made a remarkable comeback as a novelist, with his novel Kane and Abel (1979) becoming one of the best-selling books globally, with an estimated 34 million copies sold worldwide. In total, his works have sold more than 320 million copies worldwide, making him a literary giant.

In his political career, Archer served as the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1986 but resigned after allegations surfaced of paying money to a prostitute. He won a civil case in 1987 and was awarded substantial damages. In 1992, he was made a life peer and later became the first Conservative candidate for mayor of London, though he withdrew his candidacy in 1999 following revelations of lying in the 1987 case.

In 2001, Archer was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice, effectively ending his active political career. He was released early in 2003.

Notably, Jeffrey Archer is published in 114 countries and more than 47 languages and has received over 750,000 5-star reviews. His international sales have surpassed 275 million copies. He is the only author to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times), and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).

Jeffrey has been married for 53 years to Dame Mary Archer DBE. They have two sons, William and James, three grandsons, and two granddaughters, and they divide their time between homes in London, Cambridge, and Mallorca.