J.K. Rowling, Author and Film Producer, $1 billion

There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know and love the Harry Potter movies, and we have the first British billionaire author, J. K. Rowling, to thank for that. The series was adapted from her award-winning novels, which have sold over 500 million copies.

Just before writing the series, Rowling was living a completely different life than she did after her novels began to gain recognition. Her financial status was described as being poor in modern-day Britain, and she had to depend on government benefits to fend for herself and her daughter.