The American author Tom Clancy is best known for his techno thriller novels based on themes of political and military science intrigue with complex geopolitical subjects and technologically advance military equipment. With ten books ranking number 1 on The New York’s Times bestsellers list, Tom Clancy is a well liked and widely read author around the globe. Clancy has sold over 50 million copies of his books, of which, three have been adapted to screen as films.
Thomas Leo Clancy, Jr. was born on April 12, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland in 1965, Clancy attended Loyola College in Baltimore where he graduated in 1969. Also in 1969, Tom Clancy married a woman named Wanda who separated from Clancy for a brief period of time in 1995. The couple separated permanently a year later in December 1996. In November 1998, Wanda filed for a divorce which was finalized in 1999.
On the other side of his personal life, before realizing writing as a career Clancy worked as an insurance broker, running an independent insurance agency. A few years later the agency joined a group of investors including Peter Angelos. Clancy bought the Baltimore Orioles from Eli Jacobs. Just when Clancy was about to reach an agreement to purchase the Minnesota Vikings to boost his insurance business, the settlement cost of his divorce came in the way and forced Clancy to abandon the agreement. On June 26, 1999, wedding bells rang for Clancy once again. This time, he married a freelance journalist, Alexandra Marie Llewellyn. The couple had met for the first time in 1997 and introduced to each other by Colin Powell who is a family friend of Alexandra’s father.
In 1984, Tom Clancy published his first book, The Hunt for Red October. The novel’s story revolved around a Russian submarine crew. The book gained immense recognition and occupied space on The new York Times bestsellers list after President Ronal Reagan praised it. As a writer Clancy’s forte remains his realistic crafting of the military and law enforcement world, its scenarios, procedures and life. His writings have made an impression on many significant military and government personalities who have offered their friendship to him and also grant him access to submarines, aircrafts, and ships to help him collect material for his upcoming projects. His accurate representations have made many of his books a part of required reading materials as U.S military academies.
Some of Clancy’s most notable books include Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, the Sum of all Fears, Executive Orders, Rainbow Six, The Teeth of the Tiger, Dear or Alive, Locked On and Against all Enemies.
Clancy’s political views have always been supportive of conservative and Republican causes in America. Many of his novels portray characters that bear resemblance to significant political figures such as Ronald Reagan. In his books, Clancy has represented the Soviet Union, North Korea, Syria, China, Iran, Palestine, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, India, and Japan as hostile nations to the United States while Saudi Arabia, Russia, Colombia, The Philippines, Indonesia, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, South Korea, Israel, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom are portrayed as strong allies. Tom Clancy is also a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. Part owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team; Tom Clancy also owns a tank.