Suzanne Collins
Born 1962 · Age 64
American author and television writer best known for The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games series; former children's television writer; screenwriter and executive producer on film adaptations.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Suzanne Collins and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Sibling: Joan born (older sibling)
One of four children; siblings Kathryn (1957), Andrew (1958), Joan (1960). (Contextual family timeline item.)
Born in Hartford, Connecticut
Born to Jane Brady Collins and Lt. Col. Michael John Collins, a U.S. Air Force officer.
Graduated Alabama School of Fine Arts
Graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham as a Theater Arts major.
BA from Indiana University Bloomington
Completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in theater and telecommunications.
Moved to New York City
Relocated to New York City (lived there until 2003).
Earned MFA from NYU Tisch
Received a Master of Fine Arts in dramatic writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Met future husband Charles Pryor
Met Charles 'Cap' Pryor at Indiana University (they later married in 1992).
Began professional career in children's television
Started writing for children's television and joined staffs of shows including Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.
Wrote for Little Bear (Nickelodeon)
Contributed multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated preschool show Little Bear.
Published 'Fire Proof' (The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo #11)
Early published work tied to television franchise.
Worked on Generation O! and met James Proimos
While working on Kids' WB show Generation O! she met children's author/illustrator James Proimos, who encouraged her to try children's books.
Co-wrote 'Santa, Baby!' — WGA nomination
Co-wrote the Rankin/Bass Christmas special Santa, Baby! (nominated for Writers Guild of America Award in Animation).
Published 'Gregor the Overlander' (first Underland Chronicle)
First book of The Underland Chronicles; became a New York Times bestseller and launched five-book series.
Head writer role: Clifford's Puppy Days
Served as head writer for PBS spin-off Clifford's Puppy Days (role noted during her television career).
Published 'Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane'
Second book in The Underland Chronicles.
Published 'Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods' and 'When Charlie McButton Lost Power'
Third Underland book plus a rhyming picture book illustrated by Mike Lester.
Child born: Charlie (son) — reported
IMDb and some sources list a son born in 1994 and a daughter in 1999; included as family timeline context (dates vary across sources).
Published 'Gregor and the Marks of Secret'
Fourth book of The Underland Chronicles.
Published 'Gregor and the Code of Claw' (final Underland book)
Fifth and final book of The Underland Chronicles (2003–2007).
Won Cybils Award for The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games won the 2008 Cybils Award in Speculative Fiction: Young Adult.
Multiple awards won for The Hunger Games (2008–2012)
The Hunger Games won numerous awards including state readers' awards, the Golden Duck Hal Clement Award, Inky Silver, and more across 2008–2012.
Published 'The Hunger Games'
Scholastic Press released The Hunger Games; novel that launched bestselling dystopian trilogy.
Lionsgate acquires film rights to The Hunger Games
Lionsgate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights; Color Force (Nina Jacobson) producing.
1.5 million copies printed of first two Hunger Games books (North America)
Within 14 months of release, 1.5 million copies of the first two books were printed in North America.
Catching Fire critical recognition
Catching Fire won Goodreads Choice Awards (Young Adult Series) and multiple children's book awards (2009–2012).
Published 'Catching Fire'
Second book in The Hunger Games trilogy released (September 1, 2009).
The Hunger Games: >60 weeks on NYT Best Seller list
The Hunger Games was on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 60 consecutive weeks.
Screenwriting: Collins credited on film adaptation
Suzanne Collins adapted The Hunger Games novel for the 2012 film; screenplay credit shared with director Gary Ross (and reported involvement of Billy Ray on adaptation credits in some sources).
Named one of Time magazine's 'Most Influential People'
Time included Suzanne Collins in its Time 100 list for 2010.
Published 'Mockingjay'
Third book in The Hunger Games trilogy released (August 24, 2010).
Filming of The Hunger Games began (late spring)
Gary Ross directed; Suzanne Collins adapted the novel for film and shared screenplay credit; Jennifer Lawrence cast as Katniss.
Numerous Kindle highlights and digital engagement milestone
Amazon reported Collins wrote 29 of the 100 most-highlighted Kindle passages and 17 of top 20 recently highlighted passages, indicating strong digital reader engagement.
Amazon named Collins best-selling Kindle author of all time
Amazon announced Suzanne Collins had become the best-selling Kindle author of all time (March 2012).
Kindle highlights statistic
Amazon reported Collins wrote 29 of the 100 most highlighted Kindle passages and 17 of the top 20 on a recent list.
Film release: The Hunger Games (theatrical)
Lionsgate released The Hunger Games film (directed by Gary Ross). Film broke box office records and generated nearly $700 million worldwide.
Forbes: Top-earning authors — net worth reported
Forbes reported Suzanne Collins had a net worth of approximately $55 million and listed her No. 3 on Forbes's Top-Earning Authors list (2013).
Series in-print milestone reported
By the first film's release there were reported over 50 million Hunger Games books in print (publisher announcements and press reporting varied by time and region).
Published 'Year of the Jungle' (autobiographical picture book)
Released a picture book (2013) dealing with Collins's childhood year when her father was deployed to Vietnam.
Film release: Catching Fire
Lionsgate released The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The film was the highest-grossing domestic box office release of 2013.
Film release: Mockingjay – Part 1
Lionsgate released The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
Executive Producer role on film franchise (credited)
Suzanne Collins served as an Executive Producer on all Hunger Games films (as reported by official site).
Personal life: reported divorce claim (unconfirmed)
IMDb lists a divorce from Charles Pryor in 2015; this has not been confirmed by primary sources and remains unverified.
Film release: Mockingjay – Part 2
Lionsgate released The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, completing the initial film adaptations of the trilogy.
Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community
Presented the Authors Guild Award for exemplifying the power of young people's literature; first time given to a YA author.
Announced prequel novel to The Hunger Games
Announced a prequel novel to The Hunger Games to be released May 19, 2020, about young Coriolanus Snow.
Title revealed: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The prequel title was revealed as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Published 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'
Prequel novel released, set 64 years before the original trilogy and focusing on Coriolanus Snow.
Film release: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Lionsgate released the film adaptation starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler; Collins served as executive producer on the film.
Stage adaptation planned
First-ever live stage adaptation of The Hunger Games scheduled to begin performances Oct. 20, 2025 in London (Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre).
Franchise and sales milestone reported
Suzanne Collins' official site reported the Hunger Games franchise worldwide box office > $3.3 billion and total book sales for her works over 100 million copies worldwide (site figure, current to 2024–2025 period).
Announced new prequel 'Sunrise on the Reaping'
Suzanne Collins announced Sunrise on the Reaping to be released March 18, 2025, set 24 years before the original trilogy and exploring Haymitch's 50th Hunger Games.
Published 'Sunrise on the Reaping'
New prequel novel released March 18, 2025 (announced June 2024).
Planned film release: Sunrise on the Reaping
Lionsgate set to release the film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping on November 20, 2026; Suzanne Collins credited as executive producer on film projects.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Suzanne Collins and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Sam Harris
Born 1967 · Age 59
American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, meditation teacher and podcast host; prominent critic of religion and proponent of secular spirituality (one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism).
Kimberly Bryant
Born 1967 · Age 59
American electrical engineer and social entrepreneur; founder of Black Girls Code and founder/CEO of Black Innovation Lab; advocate for tech inclusion for girls of color.
Liz Phair
Born 1967 · Age 59
American rock singer-songwriter and musician best known as Liz Phair. Broke out with 1993 debut Exile in Guyville and has released seven studio albums, worked in TV composition, written a memoir, and toured internationally.
Satya Nadella
Born 1967 · Age 59
Indian-born American business executive; Chairman and CEO of Microsoft (CEO since Feb 2014; Chairman since Jun 2021). Led Microsoft's cloud transformation and major acquisitions (LinkedIn, GitHub, Mojang).
Joe Rogan
Born 1967 · Age 59
American stand-up comedian, podcaster (The Joe Rogan Experience), UFC color commentator, actor, television host, and entrepreneur.
Stelios Haji-Ioannou
Born 1967 · Age 59
Greek-Cypriot entrepreneur, founder of easyJet and the easy family of brands; chair of easyGroup and founder/chair of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.