biography
| name: |
Archer (of Weston-Super-Mare), Jeffrey (Howard) Archer, Baron
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1940– )
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| biography:
| Writer and former parliamentarian. He became Conservative MP for Louth (1969–74), but resigned after a financial disaster that led to bankruptcy. In order to pay his debts he turned to writing fiction. His first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1975), was an instant best-seller. Later books include Shall We Tell the President? (1976), Kane and Abel (1979), First Among Equals (1984), As the Crow Flies (1991), and The Eleventh Commandment (1998). His plays include Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1987) and Exclusive (1990). His short stories include A Twist in the Tale (1988). Several of his books have been dramatized on television. He was created a life peer in 1992. In 1999 he stood as a Conservative candidate for the London mayoral election, but was forced to stand down following disclosures of malpractice relating to his successful libel action against The Star newspaper in 1987. In 2001 he was sentenced to four years imprisonment after being found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice. |
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