Jeeves

Reginald Arthur Jeeves
Jeeves on the cover of My Man Jeeves (1920)
First appearance	1915, in the story "Extricating Young Gussie"
Last appearance	2013, in "Jeeves and the Wedding Bells"
Created by	P. G. Wodehouse
Portrayed by	Arthur Treacher (1936-37), Dennis Price (1965), Stephen Fry (1990–93), others
Information
Nickname(s)	Reggie, Jeeves
Aliases	Jeeves
Gender	Male
Occupation	Valet of Bertie Wooster
Relatives	Charles Silversmith (uncle), and more

Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in a series of humorous short stories and novels by P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), being the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie Wooster. Created in 1915, Jeeves continued to appear in Wodehouse's work until his last completed novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, a span of 59 years. The name "Jeeves" comes from Percy Jeeves (1888–1916), a Warwickshire cricketer killed in the First World War.

Both the name "Jeeves" and the character of Jeeves have come to be thought of as the quintessential name and nature of a valet or butler, inspiring many similar characters (as well as the name of the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves). A "Jeeves" is now a generic term in references such as the Oxford English Dictionary.

In a conversation with a policeman in "Jeeves and the Kid Clementina", Jeeves refers to himself as both a "gentleman's personal gentleman" and a "personal gentleman's gentleman." This means that Jeeves is a valet, not a butler—that is, he serves a man and not a household. However, Bertie Wooster has lent out Jeeves as a butler on several occasions, and notes: "If the call comes, he can buttle with the best of them."

The premise of the Jeeves stories is that the brilliant valet is firmly in control of his rich and foppish young employer's life. Jeeves becomes Bertie Wooster's guardian and all-purpose problem solver, devising subtle plans to save Bertie and his friends from boring social obligations, demanding relatives, issues with the law, and, above all, problems involving women. Wodehouse derives much comic effect from having Bertie, his narrator, remain blissfully unaware of Jeeves's machinations, until all is revealed at the end of the story.

Jeeves presents the ideal image of the gentlemanly manservant, always smartly dressed, gliding silently in and out of rooms, and speaking mainly when spoken to (most often replying "Yes, sir" or "No, sir"). His mental prowess is attributed to eating fish, according to Wooster, who often offers the dish to Jeeves. Jeeves supplements his brain power by relaxing with "improving" books, such as the complete works of Spinoza, or "Dostoyevsky and the great Russians". He frequently quotes from Shakespeare and the romantic poets. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of literature and academic subjects, he is also a "bit of a whiz" in all matters pertaining to horse racing, car maintenance, drink preparation (especially hangover remedies), etiquette, and the ways of women. Perhaps his most impressive and useful area of expertise is a flawless knowledge of the British aristocracy.