Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013) · United States · Writers · Died at 66

Tom Clancy is read about 2,704 times a day, in 64 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 21 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 396 days, one point a day.

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He was selling insurance when he wrote a submarine thriller so dense with classified-seeming detail that the Navy wondered if he'd leaked secrets. He hadn't - just read a lot and guessed right.

Writers Writer / Author Literature Fiction Screenwriting United States Americas 20th Century

A life in dates

2013Died1 October 20132007“Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die.”In their wordsAs quoted in The Appraiser's Handbook: A Guide for Doctors (2007) by Nick Lyons, Susanne Caesar, Abayomi McEwen, p. 11.Read the whole statement

1993“There's two kinds of people in the world, the ones who need to be told and the ones who figure it out all by themselves.”In their wordsWithout Remorse (1993), p. 231Read the whole statement

1988“If a hero must have an unmarked grave, it should at least be close to where his comrades fell." "Comrades?" "One way or another we all fight for the things we believe in.”In their wordsJack Ryan and MG Dalmatov, SA; The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988), p. 796Read the whole statement

1986“I like writing. It's the most fun I've ever had at anything.”In their wordsInterview with Don Swaim (1986)Read the whole statement

“I write strictly for fun... as long as it stays fun I'll continue to do it.”In their wordsInterview with Don Swaim (1986)Read the whole statement

1983“The odds against becoming the next Frederick Forsythe are, of course, somewhere between merely exponential and astronomical-incredible.”In their words5 February 1983Pied Type, 5 February 1983Read the whole statement

1947Born12 April 1947

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Tom Clancy at Burns Library cropped

Affleck Clancy Freeman

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Tom Clancy at Burns Library, Boston College

Reagan Contact Sheet C27881

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The world in 2020 according to Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 3 Mission

In their own words 10

Tom Clancy

10 statements, newest first

Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die.
2007, As quoted in The Appraiser's Handbook: A Guide for Doctors (2007) by Nick Lyons, Susanne Caesar, Abayomi McEwen, p. 11., Own words
Things rarely happen for a single reason. Even the cleverest and most skilled manipulators recognize that their real art lies in making use of that which they cannot predict.
1994, Debt of Honor (1994), ch. 5, Own words
There's two kinds of people in the world, the ones who need to be told and the ones who figure it out all by themselves.
1993, Without Remorse (1993), p. 231, Own words

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In their orbit 2

Spouse Wanda Thomas King

Spouse Alexandra Marie Llewellyn

About this person

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was born April 12, 1947, and spent years as an insurance agent before publishing The Hunt for Red October in 1984. That first novel launched the Ryanverse, a techno-thriller empire centered on CIA analyst Jack Ryan, and eighteen more books followed through 2013. The series sold over 100 million copies, spawned films with five different actors playing Ryan, and seeded video game franchises including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Clancy died October 1, 2013, at sixty-six; his family estate has kept the Ryanverse alive through hired authors. He turned procedural precision into popular fiction and never left the insurance business until the submarines made him rich.

Country

United States