WRITER

Tom Clancy

1947 - 2013

Photo of Tom Clancy

Icon of person Tom Clancy

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Tom Clancy has received more than 9,574,227 page views. His biography is available in 62 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 60 in 2019). Tom Clancy is the 516th most popular writer (down from 405th in 2019), the 531st most popular biography from United States (down from 414th in 2019) and the 48th most popular American Writer.

Tom Clancy is most famous for his Jack Ryan series of novels, which include "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger," "The Sum of All Fears," and "The Teeth of the Tiger."

Memorability Metrics

  • 9.6M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 66.52

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 62

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.56

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.68

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The sum of all fears
Red rabbit
The hunt for Red October
Clear and present danger
Without remorse
Without Remorse
John Clark (Fictitious character), Fiction, Prisoners of war
Clancy shows how an ordinary man crossed the lines of justice and morality to become the CIA legend Mr. Clark. John Kelly, former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran, is still getting over the accidental death of his wife six months before, when he befriends a young woman with a decidedly checkered past. When that past reaches out for her in a particularly horrifying fashion, he vows revenge and, assembling all of his old skills, sets out to track down the men responsible, before it can happen again. At the same time, the Pentagon is readying an operation to rescue a key group of prisoners in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. One man, they find, knows the terrain around the camp better than anyone else they have: a certain former Navy SEAL named John Kelly. Kelly has his own mission. The Pentagon wants him for theirs. Attempting to juggle the two, Kelly (now code-named Mr. Clark) finds himself confronted by a vast array of enemies, both at home and abroad - men so skillful that the slightest misstep means death. And the fate of dozens of people, including Kelly himself, rests on his making sure that misstep never happens. Men aren't born dangerous. They grow dangerous. And the most dangerous of all, Kelly learns, are the ones you least expect... As Clancy takes us through the twists and turns of Without Remorse, he blends the exceptional realism and authenticity that are his hallmarks with intricate plotting, knife-edge suspense and a remarkable cast of characters.
Red Rabbit
Assassination attempts, Intelligence officers, Fiction
Jack Ryan's first days with the CIA may be the Pope's last days alive. Long before he was President or head of the CIA, before he fought terrorist attacks on the Super Bowl or the White House, even before a submarine named Red October made its perilous way across the Atlantic, Jack Ryan was an historian, teacher, and recent ex-Marine temporarily living in England while researching a book. A series of deadly encounters with an IRA splinter group had brought him to the attention of the CIA's Deputy Director, Vice Admiral James Greer—as well as his counterpart with the British SIS, Sir Basil Charleston—and when Greer asked him if he wanted to come aboard as a freelance analyst, Jack was quick to accept. The opportunity was irresistible, and he was sure he could fit it in with the rest of his work. And then Jack forgot all about the rest of his work, because one of his first assignments was to help debrief a high-level Soviet defector, and the defector told an amazing tale: Top Soviet officials, including Yuri Andropov, were planning to assassinate the Pope, John Paul II. Could it be true? As the days and weeks go by, Ryan must battle, first to try to confirm the plot, and then to prevent it, but this is a brave new world, and nothing he has done up to now has prepared him for the lethal game of cat-and-mouse that is the Soviet Union versus the United States. In the end, it will be not just the Pope's life but the stability of the Western world that is at stake. . . and it may already be too late for a novice CIA analyst to do anything about it. "Clancy creates not only compelling characters but frighteningly topical situations and heart-stopping action," wrote The Washington Post about *The Bear and the Dragon*. "Among the handful of superstars, Clancy still reigns, and he is not likely to be dethroned any time soon." These words were never truer than about the remarkable pages of his breathtaking new novel. This is Clancy at his best—and there is none better.
The Hunt for Red October
Fiction, Thriller, Intelligence service
Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision...the Red October is heading west.The Americans want her.The Russians want her back.And the most incredible chase in history is on...The Hunt for Red October is the runaway bestseller that launched Tom Clancy's phenomenal career. A military thriller so accurate and convincing that the author was rumored to have been debriefed by the White House. Its theme: the greatest espionage coup in history. Its story: the chase for a runaway top secret Russian missile sub. Its title: The Hunt for Red October.
Red Storm Rising
World War III, Fiction, Imaginary wars and battles
Terrorists attack the USSR, they respond by attacking western Europe to replace the oil assets destroyed by the terrorists. Who will win?
Clear and Present Danger
Clark, john (fictitious character), fiction, Ryan, jack (fictitious character), fiction, South america, fiction
The sudden and surprising assassination of three American officials in Colombia. Many people in many places, moving off on missions they all mistakenly thought they understood. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected finish lines were things that, once decided, were better left unseen.
The Sum of All Fears
Intelligence service, Jack Ryan (Fictitious character), Fiction
Peace may finally be at hand in the Middle East -- as Jack Ryan lays the groundwork for a plan that could end centuries of conflict. But ruthless terrorists have a final, desperate card to play; with one terrible act, distrust mounts, forces collide, and the floundering U.S. president seems unable to cope with the crisis. With the world on the verge of nuclear disaster, Ryan must frantically seek a solution -- before the chiefs of state lose control of themselves and the world.

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Tom Clancy ranks 516 out of 7,302Before him are Statius, Alfred Jarry, Camille Flammarion, Gabriele Amorth, Isaac Babel, and Aulus Gellius. After him are Alvin Toffler, Henry IV of Castile, Elie Wiesel, Marie-Antoine Carême, Tennessee Williams, and Premchand.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1947, Tom Clancy ranks 35Before him are Carlos Santana, Robert Kiyosaki, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Glenn Close, Farrah Fawcett, and Herman Van Rompuy. After him are Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Gloria Gaynor, Sam Neill, Rob Rensenbrink, Gerd Binnig, and Dick Advocaat. Among people deceased in 2013, Tom Clancy ranks 22Before him are Lou Reed, Paul Walker, Boris Berezovsky, Nílton Santos, Giuliano Gemma, and Donald A. Glaser. After him are Jang Song-thaek, Jovanka Broz, Christian de Duve, François Jacob, Ronald Coase, and Gylmar dos Santos Neves.

Others Born in 1947

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Others Deceased in 2013

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Tom Clancy ranks 531 out of 20,380Before him are Michael Keaton (1951), Farrah Fawcett (1947), Alice Cooper (1948), Chester A. Arthur (1829), Anna Politkovskaya (1958), and Nelson Rockefeller (1908). After him are Alvin Toffler (1928), Lawrence Kohlberg (1927), Tennessee Williams (1911), Ferid Murad (1936), Anthony Perkins (1932), and Gilbert N. Lewis (1875).

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Tom Clancy ranks 48Before him are Susan Sontag (1933), Jack Kerouac (1922), Eugene O'Neill (1888), Patricia Highsmith (1921), George R. R. Martin (1948), and Robert A. Heinlein (1907). After him are Alvin Toffler (1928), Tennessee Williams (1911), Richard Bach (1936), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804), T. S. Eliot (1888), and Sidney Sheldon (1917).