Dick Francis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dick Francis
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Dick Francis (right)
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| Born | 31 October 1920 Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
| Died | 14 February 2010 (aged 89) Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |
| Occupation | Jockey Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Period | 1957–2010 |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Notable awards | Edgar Award Gold Dagger |
| Spouse |
Mary Margaret
(m. 1947; died 2000) |
| Children | 2, including Felix |
Richard Stanley Francis (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a famous British jockey and crime writer. His exciting novels were often about the world of horse racing in England.
After serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Francis became a full-time jockey. He won over 350 races and became the champion jockey in British National Hunt racing. He became even more famous in 1956 when he rode Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch. The horse fell right when it was about to win the Grand National race.
After this, Francis stopped racing horses and became a journalist and a novelist. Many of his books are about crimes that happen in the horse racing world. The stories are usually told by the main character, who might be a jockey, a trainer, or someone else connected to racing. These characters always face big challenges, often getting hurt along the way. More than 40 of his novels became international best-sellers.
Contents
About His Life
Dick Francis was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. His father was also a jockey and managed horse stables. Dick grew up in Maidenhead, England. He left school at 15 because he wanted to become a jockey. By the time he was 18, in 1938, he was also training horses.
In 1945, he met Mary Margaret Brenchley. They fell in love quickly and got married in 1947 in London. Mary was very smart; she had a degree in English and French. She also learned to fly planes, which helped Dick with ideas for many of his novels. They had two sons, Merrick and Felix.
For almost 30 years, the Francis family lived in Blewbury, England. Later, in the 1980s, Dick and Mary moved to Florida in the United States. In 1992, they moved to the Cayman Islands, where Mary passed away in 2000. Dick Francis died in 2010 at his home in the Cayman Islands, at the age of 89.
World War II Service
During the Second World War, Dick Francis joined the Royal Air Force. He hoped to join the cavalry, but instead, he became a pilot. He flew different types of fighter and bomber planes, like the Spitfire and Lancaster. He spent six years in the service, much of it in Africa.
His Horse Racing Career
After leaving the Royal Air Force in 1946, Francis became a very successful jockey. He was well-known in British National Hunt racing, which involves horses jumping over fences. He won more than 350 races and became the champion jockey in the 1953–54 season.
From 1953 to 1957, Francis was the jockey for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. His most famous moment as a jockey happened in the 1956 Grand National race. He was riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, which was about to win. But then, the horse suddenly fell for no clear reason. Years later, Francis said losing that race was his biggest regret.
Francis often got hurt during his racing career. He broke bones and damaged organs, which he used as ideas for his novels. His characters often suffer similar injuries. In 1957, after another bad fall, the Queen Mother's adviser suggested that Francis should retire from racing.
Helping Horse Racing
In 1983, the Grand National race was in danger of ending. The Jockey Club needed a lot of money to buy the land and save the race. Dick Francis, along with Lord Derby, helped raise the money needed. Thanks to their efforts and other people's help, the Grand National race was saved forever.
His Writing Career
Dick Francis wrote over 40 books that became international best-sellers. His first book was his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, published in 1957. It was very successful and led to him becoming a racing reporter for a London newspaper for 16 years.
His first mystery novel, Dead Cert, came out in 1962. It was set in the horse racing world, which became his special area. After that, he wrote a new novel almost every year for 38 years.
Even though all his books were about horse racing, his main characters had many different jobs. They were artists, investigators for the Jockey Club, pilots, or even wine merchants. The stories are always told by the hero, who discovers they are braver and smarter than they thought. Francis loved to learn about different jobs, like photography or the gemstone trade, and he used these details in his plots.
Francis usually created new main characters for each book. Only two heroes appeared more than once: Sid Halley, an injured ex-jockey who became a private investigator, and Kit Fielding.
How He Wrote
Dick Francis had a regular way of writing. He would start writing in January and had to finish the book by mid-May for his publisher. The book would then be published in England in September.
After finishing a book, he would take the summer off. During this time, he would start thinking about the plot for his next book. He would do research for the new book in the late summer and autumn. He didn't really enjoy book tours or answering the same questions many times. Even though he could have retired, he kept planning new books because he enjoyed the work.
Working with Others
Dick Francis worked very closely with his wife, Mary, on his books until she passed away. He said she was a great researcher. For example, for the novel Rat Race, Mary learned to fly a plane to help with the story. She also edited his books and helped him with plot ideas and characters. Dick Francis often said that "Dick Francis" was really the two of them working together.
His older son, Merrick, used to train racehorses and ran a horse transport business. This gave Dick ideas for his novel Driving Force.
His younger son, Felix, became his manager and later helped him write his last few books. Felix was even the inspiration for a character in the novel Twice Shy. After his father's death, Felix continued to write novels using his father's name in the title, like Dick Francis's Refusal.
Awards and Recognition
Dick Francis won many important awards for his writing. He is the only writer to win the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Novel three times. He also won the Gold Dagger Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Britain's Crime Writers Association.
In 1996, he received the Grand Master Award, which is the highest honor from the Mystery Writers of America. He was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1983 and a Commander (CBE) in 2000. He was recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999.
People all over the world recognized his books. They were published in 22 different languages. He and Mary would often see people reading his novels on planes and trains.
Books and Shows
Some of Dick Francis's books were made into movies and TV shows.
Film and Television
His first novel, Dead Cert, was made into a film in 1974. It was also made into a Soviet TV movie in 1976.
His character Sid Halley was featured in six TV movies called The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game in 1979–1980.
In 1989, three more TV films were made from his novels: Bloodsport, In the Frame, and Twice Shy.
In 2022, a production company announced plans to make a new TV series based on Dick and Felix Francis's works, tentatively called The Turf.
BBC Radio
Several of his novels were also adapted for BBC Radio, including Bonecrack, Enquiry, Proof, and Whip Hand.
Video Game
His novel High Stakes was even turned into a text adventure game for computers.
See also
In Spanish: Dick Francis para niños
