Profile of the Day: J.K. Rowling

Posted July 31, 2019 by Amanda | One Comment

Happy birthday to author J.K. Rowling!

Image: J.K. Rowling / Daniel Ogren, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Joanne Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in Yale, England to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Volant, a science technician. Her great grandfather, Louis Volant was a French soldier in World War I. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte.

A single mother at the time she wrote the first Harry Potter book, Rowling was struggling financially as she tried to get her book published. She was turned down multiple times before a publisher agreed to publish the book. In 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in Britain. In a true rags to riches story, Rowling went from living on welfare to being one of the wealthiest people in the UK within five years.

Today, the Harry Potter book series continues to be one of the most successful book series in history. The film adaptations of the books have also proven to be huge box office draws.

What’s your favorite Harry Potter book or movie?

Fun fact: Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling share the same birthday!

J.K. Rowling is connected to over 134 million people in Geni’s World Family Tree. How are you related?