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Tom Clancy Facts

Tom Clancy Facts
Tom Clancy was an American military espionage author best known for his books The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and The Sum of All Fears. He was born Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. on April 12th, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland to Thomas Clancy, a postal service worker, and Catherine Clancy, a store credit clerk. He graduated from a private school in 1965 and went on to Loyola College in Baltimore, earning a literature degree in 1969. Tom worked in insurance following graduation, and wrote in his spare time. He wrote the book The Hunt for Red October while working at the insurance agency he had bought from his wife's grandmother.
Interesting Tom Clancy Facts:
Tom Clancy joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps but his nearsightedness kept him from serving.
Tom Clancy sold The Hunt for Red October in 1984 to the Naval Institute Press. He received $5000.
President Ronald Reagan praised Tom Clancy's book The Hunt for Red October. He called it 'the best yarn'. Sales went up to 300,000 in hardcover and more than 2 million in paperback.
Tom Clancy followed the success of his first book with Red Storm Rising in 1986, Patriot Games in 1987, Cardinal of the Kremlin in 1988, Clear and Present Danger in 1989, The Sum of All Fears in 1991, Without Remorse in 1993, Debt of Honor in 1994, Executive Orders in 1996 and Rainbow Six in 1998, The Bear and the Dragon in 2000, Red Rabbit in 2002, The Teeth of the Tiger in 2003, Dead or Alive in 2010, Against All Enemies in 2011, Locked On in 2011, Threat Vector in 2012, and Command Authority in 2013.
Tom Clancy's most famous fictional character was Jack Ryan. In film this character has been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck.
Red Storm Rising was written by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond. It was a Cold War epic.
Tom Clancy earned $1.3 million for The Hunt for Red October by 1988. By the year 1997 Tom Clancy was contracted by Penguin Putnam books to write two more books for $50 million.
More than 100 million copies of Tom Clancy's books have been printed.
Tom Clancy married Wanda Thomas King in 1969. They divorced in 1999 with four children born from their union including Michelle Bandy, Christine Blocksidge, Kathleen Clancy, and Thomas Clancy III.
Tom then married Alexandra Marie Llewellyn in 1999 and they remained married until Tom's death in 2013. Tom and Alexandra had one child named Alexis.
Tom Clancy died on October 1st, 2013 at the age of 66, at John Hopkins Hospital. Although it has not been disclosed how Tom died it has been attributed by some to his heart.
Tom Clancy is one of three novelists in the 1990s to sell 2 million copies of a book with the first printing. The other two novelists were J.K. Rowling and John Grisham.
The Hunt for Red October was made into a board game in 1988. Red Storm Rising followed with a board game in 1989, and in 1997 Tom Clancy's Politika board game was released.
Tom Clancy co-founded Red Storm Entertainment in 1996. His name has since appeared on many of the company's most successful video games.
Tom Clancy received various awards throughout his career.


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