Joe Ackerley, later known as J.R. Ackerley, was the son of Roger Ackerley, who had at least two separate families, both of which he lived with at times. Joe's mother Janetta Aylward had another son, Peter Ackerley, and a daughter, Nancy, by the same father. Joe realized in school that he was attracted to his own sex, but was slow to act on his feelings. During the First World War, he and his older brother, Peter, became officers in the British army. Both were wounded and Peter was killed. Ackerley was taken prisoner by the Germans, an experience which would lead him to write a modestly successful play called "Prisoners of War", which was first performed in 1925.
After the war, Ackerley attended Magdalene College at Cambridge University where he graduated in 1921. After working for part of a year in India (which later led to his writing a book called "Hindoo Holiday") he returned to London where he began to enjoy the literary life. He worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a literary editor, starting a career that included reviewing books and plays. He encouraged many young literary figures including W.H. Auden.
He wrote several books on a variety of subjects, including two books about his dog, Queenie. His memoir "My Father and Myself" was published in 1968, the year after Ackerley's death. In it, he frankly discussed his life, including homosexuality and illegitimacy.
At least three of his books have been made into movies, and the BBC series "Omnibus" presented a drama based on his life.
