John Grisham | |
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John Grisham in 2009
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Born | John Ray Grisham, Jr. February 8, 1955 Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States |
Occupation | Writer |
Nationality | United States |
Alma mater |
Mississippi State University B.S. University of Mississippi School of Law J.D. |
Period | 1989–present |
Genre |
Legal thriller Crime fiction Baseball Football |
Spouse | Renee Grisham (1981–present) |
Children | Shea Grisham (born 1986) Ty Grisham (born 1983) |
Website | |
www |
John Grisham | |
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State Representative | |
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 7 district |
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In office 1984–1990 |
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Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
John Ray Grisham, Jr. (/ˈɡrɪʃæm/; born February 8, 1955) is an American bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist best known for his popular legal thrillers. His books have been translated into 42 languages and published worldwide.
John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He practiced criminal law for about a decade and served in the House of Representatives in Mississippi from January 1984 to September 1990.
He began writing his first novel, A Time to Kill, in 1984; it was published in June 1989. As of 2012, his books had sold over 275 million copies worldwide. A Galaxy British Book Awards winner, Grisham is one of only three authors to sell 2 million copies on a first printing; the others are Tom Clancy and J.K. Rowling.
Grisham's first bestseller was The Firm (1991); it sold more than seven million copies. The book was adapted into a 1993 feature film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, and a 2012 TV series which "continues the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere and his family 10 years after the events of the film and novel." Eight of his other novels have also been adapted into films: The Chamber, The Client, A Painted House, The Pelican Brief, Skipping Christmas, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, and A Time to Kill.