Date of Birth
12 April 1947,
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Birth Name
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr.
Spouse
| Alexandra Marie Llewellyn |
(26 July 1999 - present) |
| Wanda Thomas |
(1969 - 1999) (divorced) |
Trade Mark
Realistic, carefully researched stories about the military and terrorism
Trivia
Co-owner of the Baltmore Orioles.
Father of four.
Attended Loyola High School class of 1965 and Loyola College class of 1969. Major: English Literature.
Reportedly is worth over USD $190 million. [2001]
Sold his videogame company, Red Storm Entertainment, for $45 million.
A woman in Washington, DC, read his novel "The Hunt For Red October" when it was first published by the Naval Press Institute in the 1980s, and loved it so much that she gave a copy to all her friends. One of those friends was President Ronald Reagan, who stepped off Marine One with the book tucked under his arm. A reporter saw the book and asked Reagan, "What are you reading?" Reagan then held up the book so everybody could see the cover and replied, "It's a really a good yarn." After Reagan's compliment, Tom Clancy's first novel became a best seller.
He was an insurance salesman before becoming a full time author of military fiction and non-fiction. (He has never had any military or government experience)
Due to the limited technology of the 1980s, his novel, "The Hunt For Red October," had to be saved on ten floppy disks.
Dreamed of serving in the US military ever since he was a young boy. However, he failed to continue ROTC in college because he couldn't pass the required eye exam, crushing his hopes of ever serving in the army. (Loyola College required all students to enroll for two years of ROTC.)
He majored in English at Baltimore's Loyola College.
His wife Alexandra is the niece of Colin Powell.
Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors." New Revision Series, Vol. 132, pp. 86-93. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.
Attempted to buy the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1990's. Due to his on-going divorce, he did not have sufficient funds. The team was instead bought by Red McCombs.
Personal Quotes
"Wars are begun by frightened men."
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."
"There are two kinds of people: the ones who need to be told and the ones who figure it out all by themselves."
"Success will ruin your life."
Helicopters don't fly, they vibrate so badly the ground rejects them.
Salary
| The Hunt for Red October (1990) |
$600,000 (novel rights) |
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double ...
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ...
Virtual World, Real Profit!
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