The seven-volume Harry Potter children’s book series made British author and screenwriter JK Rowling famous. One of the most well-known book and movie series in history, the fantasy series “Harry Potter” is written by JK Rowling.
JK Rowling | Family and Education
JK Rowling has reached the age of 56. Her birth took place on July 31, 1965, in Yate, Gloucestershire.
She is the daughter of Anne Rowling, a scientific worker, and Peter James Rowling, an aircraft engineer with Rolls-Royce.
Similarly, in 1964, her parents first encountered one another on a train leaving King’s Cross Station headed for Arbroath. On March 14, 1965, her mother and father got married.
Dugald Campbell, one of her maternal great-grandfathers, was a Lamlash, Scotland, native.
Similar to this, during World War I, Louis Volant, her mother’s French paternal grandpa, received the War Cross for his extraordinary valor in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte.
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As she stated when she received the Legion of Honor in 2009, she initially believed her great-grandfather Volant had received it during the conflict.
Later, when she was featured in an episode of the British genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?, she discovered the truth and learned that several Louis Volants shared the Legion of Honor.
She said the War Cross was “greater” to her than the Legion of Honour after learning of her grandfather’s gallantry and discovering that the War Cross was awarded to “regular” men like her grandfather, a waiter.
Childhood
Dianne, her sister, was born there when Rowling was 23 months old. When she was just four years old, her family relocated to the neighboring community of Winterbourne.
She wrote fantasy stories frequently as a child, which she frequently shared with her sister.
When she was nine years old, she relocated to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire community of Tutshill, which is close to Chepstow, Wales.
When she was a young adolescent, her great-aunt gave her a copy of Hons and Rebels, the autobiography of Jessica Mitford.
Rowling’s adolescence was marked by considerable unhappiness. Due to her mother’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and her father’s challenging relationship, she has no communication with him.
When she was eleven, she even went so far as to identify herself as Hermione Granger.
She owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she used as the model for the flying Ford Anglia that appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Sean Harris was her best friend in the Upper Sixth.
She shared the same passion for rock music as other teenagers, listening to Siouxsie Sioux, the Smiths, and the Clash.
She imitated Siouxsie Sioux’s style by combing her hair back and wearing black eyeliner, a look she would continue to wear when she started college.
Education
Her schooling, Rowling went to St. Michael’s Primary School when she was a little girl.
She claims that Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Harry Potter’s school, was most influenced by Alfred Dunn, the headmaster of St. Michael’s.
JK also attended Wyedean School and College for her secondary education, when her mother was employed in the science division.
She was remembered as “not extraordinary,” but “one of the brighter girls among the bunch, and pretty competent at English” by her first English teacher from secondary school, Steve Eddy.
Rowling earned two As and a B in her three A-levels in English, French, and German while also serving as the head girl.
She attempted to pass the 1982 entrance tests for Oxford University but was unsuccessful. Having studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter, Rowling graduated with a BA.
Martin Sorrell, a French lecturer at Exeter, characterized her as “a quietly competent student, with a denim jacket and black hair, who, in terms of academics, gave the illusion of achieving what was necessary”.
When reading Tolkien and Dickens, she recalled doing little work. She earned her Exeter degree in 1986 after spending a year studying in Paris.
What was the Name of that Nymph Again? or Greek and Roman Studies Recalled is a brief essay she published in 1988 about her experiences studying the ancient world.
The article appeared in the journal Pegasus from the University of Exeter.
Mom’s passing and motivation
Rowling relocated to Manchester with her then-boyfriend after serving as an Amnesty International researcher and bilingual secretary in London.
At the Chamber of Commerce, she had a job. She had the inspiration for a tale about a little child attending a school of wizardry in 1990 while on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London.
She instantly began writing as soon as she arrived at her Clapham Junction apartment.
Her mother, Anne, passed away in December after ten years of multiple sclerosis agony. She had kept her mum in the dark about her work on Harry Potter at the time.
Her mother’s passing had a significant impact on her work, and she channeled her grief by focusing more on Harry’s loss in the first novel.
JK Rowling gives £1 million to two charities in the wake of the coronavirus
JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, donated £1 million to organizations that help the defenseless during the lockdown.
The funds will be distributed equally between supporting homeless people and domestic abuse victims through Refuge. She donates between HarryPotterDay tweets on Twitter.
“She stated on Twitter that it was improper to discuss imaginary fatalities on the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.”
“In the real world, too many people experience the loss of loved ones. Rowling spent a lot of time in Edinburgh while penning many of her Harry Potter books.”
Added At this time, several weak people were either homeless or in abusive relationships.
She also authorized the Harry Potter-themed hospital rooms. Rowling’s letter of encouragement to doctors dealing with coronavirus was “uplifting” to them.
They decorated certain portions of their facility to resemble Harry Potter classrooms.
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s conference rooms are also given the names Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw.
The hospital described the plan as “a little bit of fun among all the significant challenges“. She tweeted that she had “rarely felt prouder,” the author said.
When restructuring procedures to better prepare for the coronavirus outbreak, the hospital medical staff decided to name conference rooms after the Hogwarts houses.
JK Rowling | Professional Life and Career
Harry Potter
In 1990, while we’re talking about Rowling’s professional life, she was employed by Amnesty International as a researcher and secretary.
While riding a delayed train from Manchester to London, she had the idea for her debut book, which is about a young man who discovers he is a wizard and enrolls in a wizardry school.
She immediately began writing it as soon as she returned to her apartment at Clapham Junction.
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone“—known as “Sorcerer’s Stone” in the United States—was the title of the first book she completed.
Her presentation to twelve publishing houses was attended by a literary agency. She was initially rejected categorically by each of them.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 17, 2023
After a year, Bloomsbury Publishing granted her the go-ahead and an advance payment of £1,500.
The chairman handed the first chapter of the book to his 8-year-old daughter for evaluation. She promptly acknowledges and requests the rest.
As a result, the chairman solidifies the choice to proceed with the book. She then received a grant from the Scottish Arts Council shortly after to start writing the second book.
1,000 copies were printed at first, some of which were given to libraries. The publication of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” took place in June 1997.
In the end, the sleeper novel began to garner praise and accolades. Scholastic Inc. purchased the rights to publish the book in 1998.
Similarly,
The book was released in the United States in 1998 under the new title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
This first book in the series ended up being the first of a final series of seven volumes, as well as the start of a significant publishing, film, and licensing industry.
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The “Harry Potter” books broke sales records as they became famous all over the world.
Within twenty-four hours of their publicity, the latter two, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” sold nine and eleven million copies, respectively.
The books have also been translated into 65 different languages now.
Films
JK Rowling released several well-liked films after the novels’ enormous success. The first two books were turned into movies in 1998 after Warner Bros paid seven figures for the rights.
In November 2001, her “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” movie came out. She also published the second adaption in November of the same year.
She subsequently published “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
In July 2007 and July 2009, the second pair of adaptations were made into motion pictures.
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Rowling published the first two installments of the final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” in November 2010, and the final installment in July 2011.
Her key need was that the whole cast is British and that the movies be shot in Britain. A planned five-film series was launched by Warner Bros in 2013.
Author of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Newt Scamander, was the subject of a script that she co-wrote and co-produced.
In 2016, she debuted her “Fantastic Beasts” film, which takes place 70 years before the “Harry Potter” series’ events. Also, she debuted her second film in November 2018.
Philanthropy
With her riches and influence, JK Rowling has supported numerous charitable causes and organizations.
In 2001, she established the Volant Charity Trust, which uses a sizable portion of its resources to combat child poverty.
She got associated with numerous other organizations that fight against multiple sclerosis, poverty, and social inequity.
JK Rowling specifically ordered Coca-Cola, who won the competition for the product tie-in for the movie series, to donate USD 18 million to the US organization Reading is Fundamental and various community initiatives.
In a similar vein, she is the creator of the University of Edinburgh’s Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic.
After her mother, who had multiple sclerosis, gave the hospital that name. She made an initial $16 million donation to fund the facility. She has given at least $150 million to charity alone so far.
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JK Rowling | Personal Life and Relationship
In 1992, Rowling wed Jorge Arantes, a Portuguese television journalist, reflecting on her personal life.
Jessica was another kid born to Rowling on July 27, 1993, in Portugal. The pair parted ways on November 17, 1993.
She moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, in December 1993 with her young daughter to be close to her sister, carrying three drafts of what would become Harry Potter in her bag.
Rowling relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland, with her kid.
For the entire time she worked on the first “Harry Potter” film, JK reportedly described herself as a poor, single mother who struggled and was on welfare.

Source: Google
Throughout this time, she struggled with acute sadness and considered suicide.
She wed again on December 26th, 2001, to Neil Murray. In a private ceremony at her house, Killiechassie House in Scotland, he is a doctor from Scotland.
Rowling gave birth to her son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, on March 24, 2003. Soon after, she started writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Subsequently, she put the book on hold to take care of David during his early years.
JK Rowling | Net Worth and Salary
Regarding Rowling’s earnings, she is a British writer and film producer who earns a respectable income from her work.
Rowling’s estimated net worth is therefore close to $1 billion. She is also the first novelist to reach billionaire status and one of the richest private persons in the United Kingdom.
As she became well-known and wealthy for creating the fantasy “Harry Potter” series, which has sold 500 million copies since its release in 1997.
The novels gave rise to a multibillion-dollar empire in movies, merchandise, and theme parks.
She often makes between $50 and $100 million each year from all of her endeavors. In June 2018 and June 2019, she earned $90 million.
JK authored the first book as a working single mother surviving on benefits.
The writers currently reside in Church Cottage in Tutshill, Gloucestershire, which they bought back in 2011 when it was relisted for sale.
According to the BBC, she paid about £400,000 for the home, and Land Registry records show that Caernarfon Lettings Ltd, an Edinburgh-based company, actually acquired the property.
They had previously resided in Aberfeldy, Scotland; London; and Edinburgh.
JK Rowling | Age and Body Measurements
JK Rowling is a fair height at 5 feet, 5 inches (1.65 meters), and she weighs about 57 kg (126 lbs). Her emerald eyes and golden hair go well together.
Social Media
Facebook: 6.6M Followers
Twitter: 14M Followers
Instagram: 247K followers(Fan Page)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who established Lumos, exactly?
2005 saw the founding of the Children’s High-Level Group by Rowling and MEP Emma Nicholson.
The transgender characters in Harry Potter are who?
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, and Katie Leung are among the Harry Potter movie cast members who criticized Rowling’s opinions or voiced out in favor of trans rights. Eddie Redmayne, the star of Fantastic Beasts, and the fan sites MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron also supported trans rights.
Quick Facts | JK Rowling
Full Name | Joanne Rowling |
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Born Date | 31 Jul, 1965 |
Age | 57 years |
Horoscope | Leo |
Lucky Number | 5 |
Lucky Stone | Ruby |
Lucky Color | Gold |
Best Match for Marriage | Sagittarius, Gemini, Aries |
Gender | Female |
Profession | Author, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, philanthropist |
Country | England |
Height | 5 feet 5 inches (1.65m) |
Marital Status | married |
Dating | Neil Murray |
Divorce | Jorge Arantes |
Net Worth | $1Billion |
Eye Color | Green |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Birth Place | Yate, Gloucestershire |
Nationality | British |
Education | University of Exeter |
Father | Peter James Rowling |
Mother | Anne |
Siblings | Dianne |
Kids | (Three) Jessica, David |