J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling, born Joanne Rowling on 31 July 1965, is a British author, philanthropist, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for the Harry Potter series, seven books about a young wizard that became the best-selling book series in history with over 600 million copies sold, and she also writes the Cormoran Strike crime fiction series under the name Robert Galbraith. She conceived the idea for Harry Potter in 1990 and published the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 1997; the series concluded with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Her books have been translated into 85 languages and led to a film and video game franchise, and the series is credited with reviving fantasy as a genre in the children's market. She received the Hugo Award for Goblet of Fire, was named to the Order of the British Empire and made a Companion of Honour, and founded the Volant Charitable Trust and co-founded the charity Lumos.