What is Lee Child's Net Worth?
Lee Child is the pen name of James Grant, a British author of thriller novels who has a net worth of $70 million. Lee Child is best known for his Jack Reacher series. He began the prolific series in 1997 with "Killing Floor," which won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel. Beyond Jack Reacher, Grant has written nonfiction and various short stories.
Early Life and Education
Lee Child, whose real name is James Grant, was born on October 29, 1954 in Coventry, England. He has three brothers, including Andrew, who also became a thriller novelist. When Grant was four years of age, he moved with his family to Birmingham. There, he was educated at Cherry Orchard Primary School and then King Edward's School. For his higher education, Grant studied law at the University of Sheffield, despite having no intention of entering the legal field. He graduated in 1977.
Career Beginnings in Television
After graduating from college, Grant began his career as a presentation director for Granada Television in Manchester. Responsible for the transmission of programming, he also wrote thousands of commercials and news stories. Grant worked at Granada until 1995, when he was made redundant from his job due to corporate restructuring.
Jack Reacher
Following his departure from Granada, Grant began to write novels. Using the pen name Lee Child, he released his debut novel, "Killing Floor," in 1997. It introduced the character Jack Reacher, an American former military policeman who crusades the United States looking for trouble. "Killing Floor" was a hit, winning the Anthony Award and Barry Award for Best First Novel. Child went on to create a prolific series of thriller novels featuring the adventures of Jack Reacher, publishing at least one book a year. Titles in the series include "Die Trying," "Echo Burning," "Without Fail," "Persuader," "The Enemy," "Nothing to Lose," "61 Hours," "Never Go Back," "Make Me," and "Blue Moon." In 2020, Child announced that he would eventually retire from the Jack Reacher book series and hand the reins to his brother Andrew. The two went on to co-author the subsequent novels.
Books in the Jack Reacher series have been adapted for the screen as both films and television series. The first screen adaptation was the 2012 film "Jack Reacher," based on the 2005 novel "One Shot." Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, it introduced Tom Cruise in the role of Reacher. Cruise reprised the role in the 2016 sequel "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," based on the 2013 novel "Never Go Back" and directed by Edward Zwick. Later, in 2022, a television series based on the Jack Reacher series debuted on Amazon Prime Video. Entitled "Reacher," it stars Alan Ritchson in the titular role. The first season of the show is based on the original Jack Reacher novel, "Killing Floor," while the second season is based on the 2007 novel "Bad Luck and Trouble."
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Other Written Works
Beyond Jack Reacher, Grant published the 2019 non-fiction book "The Hero." He has also written numerous short stories, such as "Ten Keys," "Safe Enough," "Public Transportation," "I Heard a Romantic Story," and "Shorty and the Briefcase." These and many other stories have been published in various collections.
Other Projects and Activities
In 2007, Grant collaborated with 14 other thriller novelists to create the 17-part audio serial "The Chopin Manuscript." Narrated by Alfred Molina, it was broadcast weekly through the service Audible. In 2008, Grant took up a visiting professorship at his alma mater the University of Sheffield. The next year, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.
In 2019, Grant collaborated with musicians Jennifer and Scott Smith on an album about Jack Reacher. He contributed vocals to the track "Reacher Said Nothing." In 2020, Grant sat on the judging panel for the Booker Prize. Among his other activities, he serves as an annual sponsor of ThrillerFest.
Honors
Grant has received honorary degrees from a number of universities, including his alma mater the University of Sheffield. He has also earned lifetime achievement awards from the Crime Writers' Association, the International Thriller Writers, and the British Book Awards. In 2019, Grant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to literature.
Personal Life & Real Estate
Grant married his wife Jane in 1975. They have a daughter named Ruth, and live in New York.
In 2014, Lee paid $9.15 million for an enormous NYC condo. Located just a few steps from Central Park, the four-bedroom apartment overlooks 70 feet of park frontage and comes with a $8,500 monthly HOA fee. He listed this apartment for sale in November 2023 for $11 million.
