History of Anne Rice in Timeline

Anne Rice was a celebrated American author known primarily for her gothic fiction, erotic literature, and biblical fiction. She gained widespread recognition for her series, The Vampire Chronicles, which explored themes of immortality, love, and existentialism within a gothic framework. Her novel, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a successful film, further solidifying her influence in popular culture. Rice's writing style is characterized by its lush prose, detailed world-building, and exploration of complex characters, making her a significant figure in contemporary horror and fantasy literature.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1908: Birth of Katherine Allen O'Brien

In 1908, Katherine Allen O'Brien, Anne Rice's mother, was born.

1917: Birth of Howard O'Brien

In 1917, Anne Rice's father, Howard O'Brien, was born. He later became a naval veteran and authored a novel.

October 4, 1941: Anne Rice's Birth

On October 4, 1941, Anne Rice, originally named Howard Allen Frances O'Brien, was born. She later became a celebrated American author.

1947: Legal Name Change to Anne

In 1947, Howard Allen Frances O'Brien legally changed her name to Anne after adopting it at school.

1949: Death of Alice Allen

In 1949, Alice Allen, Anne Rice's maternal grandmother, passed away. She had been an important early influence in Rice's life.

1956: Move to St. Charles Avenue

In 1956, Anne Rice's family moved to 2524 St. Charles Avenue to be closer to the church and support for her mother's addiction.

1956: Death of Katherine Allen O'Brien

In 1956, Katherine Allen O'Brien, Anne Rice's mother, passed away.

November 1957: Father's Marriage

In November 1957, Anne Rice's father married Dorothy Van Bever.

1958: Family Move to Richardson, Texas

In 1958, Anne Rice's family moved to Richardson, Texas, where she met her future husband, Stan Rice.

1959: Graduation from Richardson High

In 1959, Anne Rice graduated from Richardson High School and began her higher education.

October 14, 1961: Marriage to Stan Rice

On October 14, 1961, Anne Rice married Stan Rice in Denton, Texas, shortly after her twentieth birthday.

1961: Marriage to Stan Rice

In 1961, Anne Rice married poet and painter Stan Rice, marking the beginning of a 41-year marriage.

1962: Return to San Francisco

In 1962, Anne and Stan Rice moved back to San Francisco, where they experienced the hippie movement firsthand.

1964: Graduation from San Francisco State University

In 1964, Anne Rice graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in political science.

September 21, 1966: Birth of Daughter Michele

On September 21, 1966, Anne and Stan Rice's daughter, Michele, was born.

1966: Birth of daughter Michele Rice

In 1966, Anne Rice's daughter, Michele Rice, was born.

1970: Return to San Francisco State & Michele's Diagnosis

In 1970, Anne Rice returned to San Francisco State and her daughter Michele was diagnosed with acute granulocytic leukemia.

1972: Graduation with M.A. & Michele's Death

In 1972, Anne Rice graduated with an M.A. and her daughter Michele passed away shortly before turning six.

1972: Death of daughter Michele Rice

In 1972, Anne Rice's daughter, Michele Rice, died.

1973: Writing Interview with the Vampire

In 1973, Anne Rice turned a short story into her first novel, Interview with the Vampire.

August 1974: Attending Squaw Valley Writer's Conference

In August 1974, Anne Rice attended the Squaw Valley Writer's Conference and met her future literary agent, Phyllis Seidel.

October 1974: Sale of Interview with the Vampire

In October 1974, Phyllis Seidel sold the publishing rights to Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire.

May 1976: Publication of Interview with the Vampire

In May 1976, Interview with the Vampire was published.

1976: Publication of Interview with the Vampire

In 1976, Anne Rice's professional writing career began with the publication of her novel, Interview with the Vampire.

1977: Travels to Europe and Egypt

In 1977, Anne and Stan Rice traveled to both Europe and Egypt.

1978: Birth of Son Christopher

In 1978, Anne Rice's son Christopher was born in Berkeley, California.

1979: Sobriety

In mid-1979, Anne and Stan Rice quit drinking so their son would not have the life she had as a child.

1985: Publication of The Vampire Lestat

In 1985, The Vampire Lestat debuted, receiving more positive reception than Interview with the Vampire.

June 1988: Return to New Orleans

In June 1988, Anne Rice returned to New Orleans and began writing The Witching Hour.

June 1988: Purchase of Brevard-Rice House

In June 1988, the Rices purchased a second home in New Orleans, the Brevard–Rice House, and decided to make it their permanent home.

1988: Stan Rice Retires

In 1988, Stan Rice retired from his position as chair of the creative writing department at San Francisco State.

1988: Publication and Success of The Queen of the Damned

In 1988, The Queen of the Damned was published, becoming a main selection of the Literary Guild of America and reaching the No. 1 spot on The New York Times Best Seller list.

1991: Death of Howard O'Brien

In 1991, Anne Rice's father, Howard O'Brien, passed away. He was a naval veteran and author.

1994: Interview with the Vampire Film Release

In 1994, Anne Rice's novel, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a commercially successful film of the same name.

1994: Exit to Eden Film Release

In 1994, Exit to Eden, erotic fiction authored by Anne Rice under the pen name Anne Rampling, was adapted into a film.

1994: Release of Exit to Eden Film

The film Exit to Eden, based on Anne Rice's book published as Anne Rampling, was released in 1994, starring Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd.

1997: Publication of Violin

In 1997, Anne Rice published Violin, a tale of a ghostly haunting.

1997: Television Pilot 'Rag and Bone'

In 1997, Anne Rice wrote the story for a television pilot entitled Rag and Bone, which aired on CBS.

December 14, 1998: Coma Caused by Diabetic Ketoacidosis

On December 14, 1998, Anne Rice fell into a coma caused by diabetic ketoacidosis and nearly died.

1998: Diabetic Coma and Return to Catholic Church

In 1998, Anne Rice experienced a sudden diabetic coma and returned to the Roman Catholic Church, which she had left at 18.

1999: Earth Angels Presentation Pilot

In 1999, Earth Angels, a presentation pilot written by Anne Rice, was picked up by NBC.

2000: Appearance on The Real World: New Orleans

In 2000, Anne Rice appeared on an episode of The Real World: New Orleans.

2000: Statement Against Fan Fiction

In 2000, Anne Rice released a statement that disallowed all fan fiction based on her works, particularly The Vampire Chronicles, citing copyright issues.

2001: The Feast of All Saints TV Adaptation

In 2001, Anne Rice's book, The Feast of All Saints, was adapted for television.

February 2002: Release of Queen of the Damned Film

In February 2002, the film adaptation Queen of the Damned was released, starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah.

2002: Death of Stan Rice

In 2002, Anne Rice's husband, Stan Rice, passed away from brain cancer at the age of 60 after 41 years of marriage.

2002: Plans for Mayfair Witches Miniseries

In 2002, NBC had plans to adapt Anne Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy into a miniseries, but the project never entered production.

2003: Gastric Bypass Surgery and Weight Loss

In 2003, Anne Rice underwent gastric bypass surgery and shed 103 pounds.

January 18, 2004: Announcement of Leaving New Orleans

On January 18, 2004, Anne Rice announced on her website that she had made plans to leave New Orleans, citing living alone since her husband's death and her son moving to California as reasons.

January 30, 2004: Sale of New Orleans Home

On January 30, 2004, Anne Rice put her largest home in New Orleans up for sale and moved to a gated community in Kenner, Louisiana, aiming to simplify her life.

2004: Intestinal Blockage

In 2004, Anne Rice nearly died from an intestinal blockage, a common complication of gastric bypass surgery.

April 2005: Sale of New York City Condominiums

In April 2005, Anne Rice sold two New York City condominiums as part of her downsizing efforts.

October 2005: Announcement of Writing to Glorify God

In October 2005, while promoting her book Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Anne Rice announced in Newsweek that she would use her writing talent to glorify her belief in God, without renouncing her earlier works.

November 2005: Settling in La Jolla, California

In November 2005, Anne Rice settled in La Jolla, California, describing the weather as "like heaven".

December 2005: Lestat Musical World Premiere in San Francisco

In December 2005, the musical Lestat, based on Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, had its world premiere and preview run at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California.

2005: Publication of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

In 2005, Anne Rice began a series called Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

2005: Newsweek Report on Health and Return to Church

In 2005, Newsweek reported on Anne Rice's near-death experience due to surgery for an intestinal blockage the previous year, and also mentioned her diabetic coma in 1998 and her return to the Roman Catholic Church that same year.

January 2006: Leaving La Jolla

In January 2006, Anne Rice left La Jolla, California, less than a year after moving there, stating that the weather was too cold.

April 25, 2006: Lestat Musical Opens on Broadway

On April 25, 2006, the musical Lestat, based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

May 28, 2006: Lestat Musical Closes on Broadway

On May 28, 2006, Lestat closed on Broadway after just 33 previews and 39 regular performances.

2006: Move to Rancho Mirage, California

In 2006, Anne Rice moved to Rancho Mirage, California.

March 2008: Publication of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

In March 2008, Anne Rice published Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana.

November 2008: Working on Christ the Lord: Kingdom of Heaven

In November 2008, Anne Rice was working on the third volume of Christ the Lord series, Kingdom of Heaven.

2008: Celebration of Sobriety

In 2008, Anne Rice posted a YouTube video to celebrate 28 years of her sobriety.

July 18, 2010: Auction of Antique Doll Collection

On July 18, 2010, Anne Rice auctioned off her large collection of antique dolls at Thierault's in Chicago.

July 28, 2010: Disdain for Christianity Announced

On July 28, 2010, Anne Rice publicly announced her disdain for the current state of Christianity on her Facebook page.

2010: "I Am Second" Project Participation

In 2010, Anne Rice participated in the "I Am Second" project, which involved creating a short documentary about her spiritual journey.

2011: Servant of the Bones Comic Book

In 2011, Anne Rice's novel, Servant of the Bones, formed the basis of a comic book miniseries.

2011: Auction of Wardrobe and Collectibles

In early 2011, Anne Rice concluded the auction of her wardrobe, jewelry, household possessions, and collectibles featured in her many books on eBay, which had started in mid-2010.

February 2012: Early Stages of Development for Christ the Lord Film Adaptation

In February 2012, a film adaptation of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was reported to be in the early stages of development, with Chris Columbus producing and Cyrus Nowrasteh having completed the script.

2012: Milder Stance on Fan Fiction

In 2012, Metro reported that Anne Rice developed a milder stance on fan fiction, stating it's been easy to avoid reading any.

April 14, 2013: Declaration as Secular Humanist

On April 14, 2013, Anne Rice stated in a Facebook post that she was a secular humanist.

March 9, 2014: Announcement of Prince Lestat

On March 9, 2014, Anne Rice announced the completion of another book in the Vampire Chronicles, titled Prince Lestat.

July 28, 2014: Christ Still Central, But Not Through Organized Religion

On July 28, 2014, Anne Rice stated in a Facebook post that Christ was still central to her life, but not in the way he is presented by organized religion.

August 2014: Universal Acquires Rights to Vampire Chronicles

In August 2014, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

October 28, 2014: Release of Prince Lestat

On October 28, 2014, Prince Lestat was released.

November 8, 2014: Filming Completed for The Young Messiah

On November 8, 2014, Anne Rice revealed that filming had finished on the movie The Young Messiah, based on Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and was going into post-production.

2015: Release of Beauty's Kingdom

In 2015, a sequel to the Sleeping Beauty trilogy, Beauty's Kingdom, was released.

November 2016: Rights Reversion and TV Series Development

In November 2016, Anne Rice announced on Facebook that the rights to her novels had reverted to her, and she and her son, Christopher Rice, would be developing a potential television series based on the novels.

November 2016: Rights Revert to Rice; Television Series Planned

In November 2016, the film and television rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles reverted to her after Universal Pictures did not renew the contract; Rice began developing a television series based on the novels with her son, Christopher.

2016: Release of The Young Messiah

In 2016, the film The Young Messiah, based on Rice's novel, was released.

April 2017: Teaming up with Paramount and Anonymous Content

In April 2017, Anne and Christopher Rice teamed up with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content to develop a television series.

July 17, 2018: Series in Development at Hulu

On July 17, 2018, it was announced that a series based on Anne Rice's novels was in development at streaming service Hulu.

December 2019: Hulu's Rights Expire

As of December 2019, Hulu's rights to Anne Rice's series had expired, and Rice was shopping a package including all film and TV rights to the series.

May 2020: AMC Acquires Rights

In May 2020, it was announced that AMC had acquired the rights to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches for developing film and television projects, with Anne and Christopher Rice as executive producers.