One of the more successful dramatists of his era, W.S. Gilbert is best remembered for his collaborations with composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Born in London in 1836, William Schwenck Gilbert was the only son of William Gilbert, a retired naval surgeon. He tried working in the civil service and as a lawyer, but failed, and instead contributed as a sketch artist and writer to the journal Fun, where he published a body of humorous verse later known as The Bab Ballads. In the 1860s, Gilbert found success on stage with the satirical works Dulcamara, Hush-a-Bye-Baby, and The Pretty Druidess. He soon became better versed in theater so he was able to direct his own productions, and he authored seven successful plays in the 1870s, earning a reputation as one of the top satiric voices in theater and was known for his piercing caricatures of political figures. It was also during this decade that he crossed paths professionally with Sullivan, a composer who was rapidly building a good reputation of his own. Beginning with Thespis (1871) and adding considerable momentum with Trial By Jury (1873), they started seeing joint success with their operettas, though neither was inclined to keep the partnership together for any but monetary reasons and neither appreciated the artistic association -- Richard D'Oyly Carte, the theater manager, held their relationship together for more than two decades. The most popular of their works, including H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), Iolanthe (1882), The Mikado (1885), Ruddigore (1887), The Yoeman of the Guard (1888), and The Gondoliers (1889), swept out across England and to the rest of the world, the combination of Sullivan's musical wit and Gilbert's edgy satire proving irresistable. The partnership was an uneasy one -- Sullivan resented the relative neglect of his concert music (some of the finest of its time) by the public, while Gilbert came to feel that the attractiveness of Sullivan's music, for all of its wit, blunted his most piercing satiric barbs. Their partnership foundered over the production of The Gondoliers, but they reunited for two more operettas, Utopia, Ltd. (1893) and The Grand Duke (1896), neither of which could recapture the magic of their earlier work. Each tried working in operetta with other collaborators but found little of his former success. Gilbert retired to his home at Grim's Dyke in Harrow Weald and was honored with a knighthood in 1907. He died in a swimming accident in 1911.