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Tom Clancy

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Tom Clancy
Clancy at Boston College's Burns Library in November 1989
Clancy at Boston College's Burns Library in November 1989
BornThomas Leo Clancy Jr.
(1947-04-12)April 12, 1947
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedOctober 1, 2013(2013-10-01) (aged 66)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
NationalityAmerican
Alma materLoyola College (BA)
Period1984–2013
Genre
Spouses
  • Wanda Thomas King
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1969; div. 1999)​
  • Alexandra Marie Llewellyn
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1999)​
Children5

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels were bestsellers, and more than 100 million copies of his books are in print.[1] His name was also used on movie scripts written by ghostwriters, nonfiction books on military subjects, and video games. He was a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles and vice-chairman of their community activities and public affairs committees.

Clancy's literary career began in 1984 when he sold The Hunt for Red October for $5,000.[1][2] His works The Hunt for Red October (1984), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) have been turned into commercially successful films. Actors Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and John Krasinski have played Clancy's most famous fictional character, Jack Ryan. Another well-known character of his, John Clark, has been portrayed by actors Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber. Tom Clancy's works also inspired games such as the Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and Splinter Cell series. Clancy died on October 1, 2013.[3] Since his death, his Jack Ryan series has been continued by his family estate through a series of authors.

Early life and education

Clancy was born on April 12, 1947, at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland,[4] and grew up in the Northwood neighborhood in northeast Baltimore.[2][4][5] He was the second of three children to Thomas Clancy, who worked for the United States Postal Service, and Catherine Clancy, who worked in a store's credit department.[6][7] His mother worked to send him to the private Roman Catholic secondary school taught by the Jesuit religious order (Society of Jesus), Loyola High School in Towson, Maryland, the suburban county seat of Baltimore County, just north of the city, from which he graduated in 1965.[4][5][6] He then attended the associated Loyola College (now Loyola University Maryland) in Baltimore, graduating in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in English literature.[4][7] While at Loyola university, he was president of the chess club.[6] He joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps; however, he was ineligible to serve due to his myopia (nearsightedness), which required him to wear thick eyeglasses.[1][6] After graduating, he worked for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut.[8] In 1973, he joined the O. F. Bowen Agency, a small insurance agency based in Owings, Maryland, founded by his wife's grandfather.[1][6][7][8] In 1980, he purchased the insurance agency from his wife's grandmother and wrote novels in his spare time.[7][9] While working at the insurance agency, he wrote his debut novel, The Hunt for Red October (1984).[1]

Career

Clancy's literary career began in 1982 when he started writing The Hunt for Red October, which in 1984 he sold for publishing to the Naval Institute Press for $5,000.[1][2] The publisher was impressed with the work; Deborah Grosvenor, the Naval Institute Press editor who read through the book, said later that she convinced the publisher: "I think we have a potential best seller here, and if we don’t grab this thing, somebody else would." She believed Clancy had an "innate storytelling ability, and his characters had this very witty dialogue".[1] The publisher requested Clancy to cut numerous technical details, amounting to about 100 pages.[1] Clancy, who had wanted to sell 5,000 copies, ended up selling over 45,000.[2][9] After publication, the book received praise from President Ronald Reagan, who called the work "the best yarn", subsequently boosting sales to 300,000 hardcover and 2 million paperback copies of the book, making it a national bestseller.[1][2][8] The book was critically praised for its technical accuracy, which led to Clancy's meeting several high-ranking officers in the U.S. military.[1]

Clancy's fiction works, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991), have been turned into commercially successful films with actors Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck as Clancy's most famous fictional character Jack Ryan; his second most famous character, John Clark, has been played by actors Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber. All but two of Clancy's solely written novels feature Jack Ryan or John Clark.

The Cold War epic Red Storm Rising (1986)[10] was co-written (according to Clancy in the book's foreword) with fellow military-oriented author Larry Bond. The book was published by Putnam and sold almost a million copies within its first year.[11] Clancy became the cornerstone of a publishing list by Putnam which emphasized authors like Clancy who would produce annually. His publisher, Phyllis E. Grann called these "repeaters."[11]

By 1988, Clancy had earned $1.3 million for The Hunt for Red October and had signed a $3 million contract for his next three books.[12] By 1997, Penguin Putnam Inc. (part of Pearson Education) reportedly paid Clancy $50 million for world rights to two new books and another $25 million to Red Storm Entertainment for a four-year book/multimedia deal.[13] Clancy followed this up with an agreement with Penguin's Berkley Books for 24 paperbacks to tie in with the ABC television miniseries Tom Clancy's Net Force aired in the fall/winter of 1998. The Op-Center universe has laid the ground for the series of books written by Jeff Rovin, which was in an agreement worth $22 million, bringing the total value of the package to $97 million.[13]

In 1993, Clancy joined a group of investors that included Peter Angelos, and bought the Baltimore Orioles from Eli Jacobs.[14][15] In 1998, he reached an agreement to purchase the Minnesota Vikings, but had to abandon the deal because of a divorce settlement cost.[16][17]

The first NetForce novel, titled Net Force (1999), was adapted as a 1999 TV movie starring Scott Bakula and Joanna Going. The first Op-Center novel (Tom Clancy's Op-Center published in 1995) was released to coincide with a 1995 NBC television miniseries of the same name starring Harry Hamlin and a cast of stars. Though the miniseries did not continue, the book series did, but later had little in common with the first TV miniseries other than the title and the names of the main characters.

Clancy wrote several nonfiction books about various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (see nonfiction listing, below). He also branded several lines of books and video games with his name that are written by other authors, following premises or storylines generally in keeping with Clancy's works.

With the release of The Teeth of the Tiger (2003), Clancy introduced Jack Ryan's son and two nephews as main characters; these characters continued in his last four novels, Dead or Alive (2010), Locked On (2011), Threat Vector (2012), and Command Authority (2013).

In 2008, the French video game manufacturer Ubisoft purchased the use of Clancy's name for an undisclosed sum. It has been used in conjunction with video games and related products such as movies and books.[18] Based on his interest in private spaceflight and his US$1 million investment in the launch vehicle company Rotary Rocket,[19] Clancy was interviewed in 2007 for the documentary film Orphans of Apollo (2008).

Political views

A long-time proponent of conservative and Republican views, Clancy dedicated books to American conservative political figures, most notably Ronald Reagan. A week after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, on The O'Reilly Factor, Clancy suggested that left-wing politicians in the United States were partly responsible for the attacks due to their "gutting" of the Central Intelligence Agency.[20]

On September 11, 2001, Clancy was interviewed by Judy Woodruff on CNN.[21] During the interview, he asserted "Islam does not permit suicide." Among other observations during this interview, Clancy cited discussions he had with military experts on the lack of planning to handle a hijacked plane being used in a suicide attack and criticized the news media's treatment of the United States Intelligence Community. Clancy appeared again on PBS's Charlie Rose, to discuss the implications of the day's events with Richard Holbrooke, New York Times journalist Judith Miller, and Senator John Edwards, among others.[22] Clancy was interviewed on these shows because his book Debt of Honor (1994) included a scenario wherein a disgruntled Japanese airline pilot crashes a fueled Boeing 747 into the U.S. Capitol dome during an address by the President to a joint session of Congress, killing the President and most of Congress.

Personal life

Clancy's first wife, Wanda Thomas King, was a nursing student who became an ophthalmologist.[7][23] They married in 1969 and had four children. The couple separated briefly in 1995, and permanently separated in December 1996.[24][1] Clancy filed for divorce in November 1997,[25] which became final in January 1999.[26]

On June 26, 1999, Clancy married freelance journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, whom he had met in 1997.[27] Llewellyn is the daughter of J. Bruce Llewellyn and a family friend of Colin Powell, who originally introduced the couple to each other.[20] They remained together until Clancy's death in October 2013.[28] The two had one daughter.[1]

Clancy was a Roman Catholic.[29][30]

Property

Clancy's 80-acre estate, which was once a summer camp, is located in Calvert County, Maryland. It has a panoramic view of the Chesapeake Bay.[31] The stone mansion, which cost $2 million, has 24 rooms and features a shooting range in the basement.[23][31] The property also features a World War II-era M4 Sherman tank, a Christmas gift from his first wife.[31][32]

Clancy also purchased a 17,000 square foot penthouse condominium in the Ritz-Carlton, in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, for $16 million.[8] Clancy and his wife combined four units to create the apartment.[33]

Death

Clancy died of an undisclosed illness on October 1, 2013,[3] at Johns Hopkins Hospital, near his Baltimore home. The Chicago Tribune quoted Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stephen Hunter as saying, "When he published The Hunt for Red October, he redefined and expanded the genre and as a consequence of that, many people were able to publish such books who had previously been unable to do so."[34]

John D. Gresham, a co-author and researcher with Clancy on several books, attributed Clancy's death to heart problems: "Five or six years ago Tom suffered a heart attack and he went through bypass surgery. It wasn’t that he had another heart attack, his heart just wore out."[35]

Achievements and awards

  • The BBC Radio 4 sitcom Deep Trouble, set on a nuclear submarine, features a humorous version of Clancy as a recurring character. He is portrayed by Ben Willbond, co-writer of the series.[40]
  • On March 31, 2014, the Baltimore Orioles honored Tom Clancy and other members of the Orioles family who died since the previous season's opening day with a video tribute during the Orioles Opening Day festivities at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The team wore a name patch on the right jersey sleeve for Clancy throughout the 2014 season.[41]

Bibliography

Main article: Tom Clancy bibliography

Film and television adaptations

Films

Year Title Filmmaker/Director Notes
1990 The Hunt for Red October John McTiernan
1992 Patriot Games Phillip Noyce
1994 Clear and Present Danger Phillip Noyce
1995 Tom Clancy's Op Center Lewis Teague 114-minute action/political thriller which was edited-down from a 170-minute, 4-hour TV mini-series of the same name that aired in two parts on NBC in February 1995.
1999 NetForce Robert Lieberman TV Movie, Based on the Tom Clancy's Net Force series of novels created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
2002 The Sum of All Fears Phil Alden Robinson
2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Kenneth Branagh Based on characters created by Clancy

Short films

  • Ghost Recon: Alpha

Television series

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bosman, Julie (October 2, 2013). "Tom Clancy, Best-Selling Novelist of Military Thrillers, Died at 66". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kaltenbach, Chris (October 2, 2013). "Clancy invented 'techno-thriller,' reflected Cold War fears". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Tom Clancy, best-selling author, dead at 66". cbsnews. October 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Clancy, Tom (October 31, 1997). "alt.books.tom-clancy". groups.google.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Tom Clancy: Bibliography and list of works". Biblio.com. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e Arnold, Laurence. "Tom Clancy, Whose Novels Conjured Threats to U.S., Dies at 66". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e Woo, Elaine (October 2, 2013). "Tom Clancy dies at 66; insurance agent found his calling in spy thrillers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d Rasmussen, Frederick N. (October 3, 2013). "Tom Clancy, 'king of the techno-thriller'". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b Lippman, Laura (June 13, 1998). "THE CLANCY COLD WAR". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  10. ^ Clancy, Tom; Bond, Larry (1986). Red Storm Rising (First ed.). Putnam. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Maneker, Marion (January 1, 2002). "Now for the Grann Finale". New York Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  12. ^ Anderson, Patrick (May 1, 1988). "King of the Techno-thriller". New York Times Magazine.
  13. ^ a b Quinn, Judy (August 24, 1997). "$100M Mega-Deals for Clancy". Publishers Weekly. 243 (34). Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Mark Hyman; Jon Morgan (April 22, 1993). "Tom Clancy offers to bid for Orioles with other locals Author would join Angelos, Knott". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  15. ^ Dean Jones Jr (October 2, 2013). "Best-selling author Tom Clancy's ties to Orioles date to 1993". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  16. ^ Vito Stellino (May 17, 1998). "Clancy's Vikings ownership in a holding pattern". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  17. ^ Chris Strauss (October 2, 2013). "Tom Clancy nearly owned the Minnesota Vikings". USA Today. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Richard (March 25, 2008). "Clancy name bought by Ubisoft, worth big bucks". Xbox360fanboy.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ David, Leonard (October 16, 2013). "How Late Author Tom Clancy Supported Private Spaceflight". Space.com. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Tom Clancy". NNDB. June 26, 1999. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  21. ^ "Tom Clancy on Sept 11 2001 & WTC 7 Collapse". CNN. Youtube.com. September 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  22. ^ "An hour about the 9/11 attacks". Charlierose.com. September 11, 2001. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ a b Christy, Marian (August 19, 1994). "Tom Clancy makes it look so simple". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  24. ^ Schindehette, Susan (June 15, 1998). "Storm Rising". People Magazine. 49 (23): 141.
  25. ^ Jones, Brent (August 27, 2008). "Reconsider Clancy case ruling". Baltimore Sun.
  26. ^ "Case No. 04-C-03-000749 OC" (PDF). Circuit Court for Calvert County. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  27. ^ "Alexandra Llewellyn, Tom Clancy". The New York Times. June 27, 1999.
  28. ^ Kennedy, John R. (October 2, 2013). "Author Tom Clancy dead at 66 - Okanagan". Global News. Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  29. ^ Carlson, Peter (June 27, 1993). "What ticks Tom Clancy off?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 2, 2017. 'I've had [sex scenes] in my books before, but you had to look real fast because, you know, I'm a married Catholic and I don't do that,' said Clancy.
  30. ^ Grossman, Lev (July 22, 2002). "10 Questions For Tom Clancy". Time. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  31. ^ a b c Carlson, Peter (June 27, 1993). "What ticks Tom Clancy off?". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  32. ^ "The Cold War of Clancy vs. Clancy". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 1998.
  33. ^ Kathy Orton (November 2, 2015). "At $12 million, Tom Clancy's Baltimore penthouse is most expensive listing in the city". Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  34. ^ "Tom Clancy, author, dead at 66". Chicago Tribune. October 2, 2013.
  35. ^ US Naval Institute Staff (October 3, 2013). "Tom Clancy Dies at 66". US Naval Institute. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  36. ^ "Top Hardcover Bestsellers, 1972-1996". Washington Post. June 1, 1997. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  37. ^ "Rensselaer Magazine: Summer 2004: At Rensselaer". Rpi.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  38. ^ Bucktin, Christopher. "Tom Clancy dead: Best-selling author of Jack Ryan novels dies in hospital aged 66". The Mirror.
  39. ^ "TC Post: Clancy Speaks Again Briefly". Clancyfaq.com. June 25, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  40. ^ Wolf, Ian. "Deep Trouble — Production Details, Plus Regular Cast and Crew". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  41. ^ Jones, Jr., Dean. "Orioles announce Opening Day plans, will wear patch for Tom Clancy in 2014". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
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