JK Rowling is a British author and producer with a net worth of $1 billion per celebritynetworth. She gained fame and fortune for writing the “Harry Potter” series, which has sold 500 million copies and spawned a multi-billion dollar empire.
Despite being private about her finances, she has donated at least $150 million to charity. Rowling’s story of going from unemployed single mother to billionaire best-selling author is almost as fantastic as her book series.
Harry Potter
Rowling conceived her first novel during a train delay in 1990 while working for Amnesty International. She wrote “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and was rejected by twelve publishers before Bloomsbury offered a £1,500 advance.
The book was published in 1997 and became the first in a series of seven, selling millions of copies worldwide and reigniting interest in reading among young people. The series was adapted into films and expanded into a major licensing industry.
Films
After the successful publication of the novels, a series of highly popular films followed. In 1998, Warner Brothers purchased the rights to the first two books for a seven-figure sum, with the movie adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” released in November 2001 and the second adaptation following a year later.
The remaining films were released in July 2007, July 2009, November 2010, and July 2011. While Steve Kloves wrote all of the screenplays, except for the fifth film Rowling contributed to, Rowling had creative control and reviewed each script before filming. She stipulated that the films must be shot in Britain with an all-British cast.
In 2013, Rowling and Warner Bros announced plans for a series of five films co-produced and scripted by Rowling about the character Newt Scamander, the writer of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
The first “Fantastic Beasts” film was released in 2016, set 70 years before the events of the “Harry Potter” series, with the second film released in November 2018.
Philanthropy
In addition to her immense wealth, J.K. Rowling has been an active philanthropist, supporting various charities and causes such as fighting childhood poverty, social inequality, and multiple sclerosis.
She founded the Volant Charitable Trust and the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, named after her mother. Notably, she also demanded a significant donation from Coca-Cola to charity as part of a product tie-in agreement. Overall, she has personally donated at least $150 million to charity.
Following an apology to author J.K. Rowling for her transphobic views, BBC is prepared to renew the “Strike.”
Despite the online outcry to cancel JK Rowling for her stance on transgender rights, the BBC seems unfazed and is preparing to renew Strike for a sixth season. The broadcaster has apologized twice to the author after guests on news shows accused her of being transphobic.
Although a deal is yet to be finalized, Deadline reports that the BBC is enthusiastic about another season. Based on novels by Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the show follows the investigations of private detective Cormoran Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott. Season six will be an adaptation of The Ink Black Heart, a novel similar to Rowling’s experience with online hate.
Despite the controversy surrounding Rowling’s views on transgender issues, the show remains popular, with Season 5 premiering to 8 million viewers on BBC1.
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