| JK Rowling is notable. Join: Notables Project Discuss: notables |
Joanne Rowling was born 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Volant, a science technician. Her parents met on a train departing from King's Cross Station in 1964. [1]
Rowling grew up with her parents and sister in Gloucestershire. She spent her teens living in a Grade II listed building which she remembers as, "not a particularly happy time in my life," possibly owing to her mother being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and a strained relationship with her father. [2]
She attended Wyedean School and College where she became Head Girl, before going on to earn a BA in Classics and French from the University of Exeter. With Classical mythology having a strong influence in her later writing, it is interesting to see what may have been the source of some of her inspiration. In graduating from university, Rowling worked as a researcher for Amnesty International. [2]
Rowling married a TV journalist, in Portugal when she was twenty seven. They had one daughter. The relationship did not last, and Rowling returned to the UK, a single mother, living on benefits. It was at this stage, sitting in a café in Edinburgh, that she began writing the first Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. [3]
Rowling has always said she came up with the idea for Harry Potter whilst on a train ride from London to Manchester in 1990. It took her seven years to complete the first book and the series went on to sell more than 400 million copies worldwide, garnering Rowling several awards. During this time she lost her mother Anne to M.S. She had been very close to her mother, and this was a particularly painful time for her. [4]
The seven books and eight films in the Harry Potter series have become the best selling and highest grossing of all time. Rowling's own story is one of rags to riches, in which she went from being a single mother on benefits to a multi-millionaire in the space of five years. [2] [3] [5]
Rowling is now married to a doctor. The couple have gone on to have two children. They live just outside Edinburgh, Scotland. [2] [3]
JK is 36 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 25 degrees from Sting Sumner, 31 degrees from Josh Brolin, 33 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 33 degrees from José Ferrer, 30 degrees from Frank Herbert, 29 degrees from Richard Jordan, 31 degrees from David Lynch, 31 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 32 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 31 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 32 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.
Thanks!
Abby
"Category: Who Do You Think You Are (UK)" and "Category: Who Do You Think You Are (US)".
Her UK episode aired 17 Aug 2011, BBC. Her US episode (same, edited) aired 2 Aug 2015 on TLC.
Also, IMDb: J.K. Rowling link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746830
Tx!