J.K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, OBE (Joanne Kathleen Rowling is not her legal name; see for the explanation) (born 31 July 1965), commonly known as J. K. Rowling (pronunciation: rolling, as in rolling stone) is an English fiction writer. Ro

Joanne Rowling, OBE (Joanne Kathleen Rowling is not her legal name; see for the explanation) (born 31 July 1965), commonly known as J. K. Rowling (pronunciation: rolling, as in rolling stone) is an English fiction writer. Rowling is most famous as author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, which has gained international attention, won multiple awards and sold a reported 300 million copies worldwide as of 2005. In February 2004, Forbes magazine estimated her fortune as £576 million (just over US$1 billion), making her the first person to become a US dollar billionaire by writing books. Rowling is also believed to be the wealthiest woman in the United Kingdom, well ahead of even Queen Elizabeth II, but this is unproven as the Queen's personal fortune is hidden in 'The Bank of England Nominees' making her fortune known to only her closest officials.

J. K. Rowling was born in the General Hospital at Chipping Sodbury, near her parents' home in Yate, Gloucestershire, England in 1965. Together with her mother, father, and younger sister, Diana, she moved to Winterbourne, Bristol and then to Tutshill near Chepstow. She attended secondary school at Wyedean Comprehensive, where she told stories to her fellow students. In 1990, her 45-year-old mother succumbed to a decade-long battle with multiple sclerosis.