Rick Riordan is a bestselling American Author of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” trilogy. His work has been translated into 37 languages and purchased over 30 million copies worldwide.
Twentieth Century Fox transformed the first two books into films in his Percy Jackson trilogy. Rick’s books have produced short story collections, graphic novels, and novels. Young adult readers have flocked to his books in massive numbers.
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rick Riordan |
| Full Name | Richard Russell Riordan Jr. |
| Nick Name | Rick Riordan |
| Profession | Writer, Author |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 5 June, 1964 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 56 years |
| Birth Place | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Home town | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Current City | Boston |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Religion | Not Known |
| Zodiac Sign | Not Known |
| Sex | Male |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| High school | Alamo Heights High School |
| College | University of Texas |
| Highest qualification | Graduated |
| Career | |
| First Book | Big Red Tequila [1997] |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height | in centimeters- 172 cm in meters- 1.72 m in feet inches- 5'6" |
| Weight | in kilograms- 85 kg in pounds- 187 lbs |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black & White Mixed |
| Hair Type | Stright |
| Body Measurement | N/A |
| Relationships & Affairs | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | June 5, 1985 |
| Wife | Becky Riordan [they had been dating since high school] |
| Family | |
| Parents | Father- Rick Riordan Sr. [a ceramic] Mother- Lyn Belisle [musician and an artist] |
| Income | |
| Net Worth (approx.) | $35 million |
| Social Media | |
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Early Life/Biography
Renowned fantasy author Rick Riordan was born in 1964 and raised in San Antonio, Texas. After initially studying music in college, Riordan switched gears to pursue English and History degrees at the University of Texas at Austin.
He then obtained a teaching certificate from UT San Antonio. Riordan worked as a teacher for over 20 years total, instructing English, History, and Greek Mythology in San Francisco for 8 years, followed by 15 years at Presidio Hill School.
Lauded for his exceptional teaching skills, Riordan received the “Best Master Teacher” Award in 2002. But it was his passion for mythology and knack for writing gripping tales that ultimately catapulted Riordan to fame as an author after the publication of his Percy Jackson novel series.
Career Journey
Rick Riordan first tapped into his love of writing as a child, but he didn’t pursue it seriously until after college. His son Haley, who has ADHD and dyslexia, grew fascinated with Greek mythology, which Riordan taught.
To entertain Haley, Riordan hastily created the character of Percy Jackson, a modern 12-year-old demigod hero. After writing the story over three nights, Riordan expanded it into a book at his son’s urging. Riordan gave Percy dyslexic traits to connect with readers. This origin story spawned the incredibly successful Percy Jackson series, which was later adapted into a major film in 2010.
Riding the popularity wave, Riordan continued churning out other beloved series like The Kane Chronicles and The Heroes of Olympus. He also co-authored the bestselling children’s series The 39 Clues. Though extremely prolific, Riordan remains grounded in his Texas roots, living in San Antonio with his family while dreaming up new adventures that capture the imaginations of young readers worldwide.
Interesting Facts We Found about Rick Riordan
- He became an author because he loves telling stories, even from his teaching days.
- Rick Riordan is known for writing multiple series simultaneously. He has successfully created and managed various series based on mythology, including Greek, Egyptian, and Norse.
- Riordan had a fascination with Norse myths since he was introduced to them through “The Lord of the Rings.” This fascination eventually led him to create a whole series based on Norse mythology.
- Riordan enjoys combining characters from different series. He wrote a short story called “The Son of Sobek,” which brought together characters from his Greek and Egyptian series. He hints at the possibility of doing longer crossovers in the future.
- Despite his fame and success, Rick Riordan remains grounded. He keeps his family and personal life stable and unchanged, indicating a strong sense of personal values.
- Rick’s favorite pastimes are reading, playing the guitar, and traveling with his family.
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