J. R. R. Tolkien
Colourised version of a photograph of J. R. R. Tolkien taken around 1925
Born	John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-01-03)3 January 1892 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State (modern-day South Africa)
Died	2 September 1973(1973-09-02) (aged 81) Bournemouth, England
Occupation	Author, academic, philologist, poet
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Exeter College, Oxford
Genre	Fantasy, high fantasy, translation, literary criticism
Notable works	The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales
Spouse	Edith Bratt (m. 1916; d. 1971)
Children	John Francis (1917–2003) Michael Hilary (1920–1984) Christopher John (1924–2020) Priscilla Anne (b. 1929)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1915–1920
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Lancashire Fusiliers
Battles/wars	First World War Battle of the Somme Capture of Schwaben Redoubt Actions at Leipzig Salient Actions at Regina Trench  (WIA)

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was a British philologist, university professor, and writer. Tolkien is best known for his most famous works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.