J. K. Rowling

The British author who created Harry Potter, the best-selling book series in history.

Joanne Rowling, writing as JK Rowling, born 31 July 1965, is a British author, philanthropist, producer and screenwriter best known for writing Harry Potter, a seven-volume series about a young wizard that is the best-selling book series in history with over 600 million copies sold. She also writes the Cormoran Strike crime novels as Robert Galbraith.

She conceived the series in 1990, and the seven years before Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone appeared in 1997 brought the death of her mother, the birth of her first child, a divorce and relative poverty.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Joanne Rowling

Born

31 July 1965

Birthplace

Yate, Gloucestershire, England

Pen name

J. K. Rowling, Robert Galbraith

Occupation

Author
philanthropist
producer
screenwriter

Education

University of Exeter (BA), Moray House

Years active

1997–present

Genres

Fantasy
drama
young adult fiction
crime fiction

Facts from the source article.

Background

Six sequels followed, ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. The books have been translated into 85 languages, spawned a global franchise of films and games, revived fantasy in the children's market and inspired an active fandom, while critics have called her writing conventional and debated her treatment of gender and social division. Forbes named her the world's highest-paid author in 2008.

She was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, to parents who had met on a train from King's Cross station, the station that became her portal to the magical world. Bloomsbury suggested two initials rather than her full name, believing boys would not read a book by a woman; she took the K from her grandmother Kathleen.

Rowling was named to the Order of the British Empire and made a Companion of Honour for services to literature and philanthropy, and Forbes estimates her charitable giving from 2005 to 2025 at more than US$200 million. Since 2019 she has drawn criticism for her positions on transgender issues.