J.K. Rowling

Raised in Gloucestershire, England, Joanne Rowling attended Exeter University before working as a researcher for Amnesty International. She first had the idea for Harry Potter on a delayed train headed to London’s King’s Cross station.    

Over the next five years, Rowling mapped out the seven-book series on a massive number of handwritten notes. The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released in the U.K. in 1997, and in America in 1998 under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The series was turned into a successful film franchise, with eight films released between 2001 and 2011.

In addition to the Harry Potter series, Rowling has published six works related to her wizarding universe including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) and The Tales of Beedle Bard (2008). She has received five honorary degrees from various institutions including the University of Edinburgh and Harvard University and has won numerous awards including the Hugo Award and the National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year.