Frederick Forsyth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frederick Forsyth CBE
Forsyth in 1972, showing the bullet that grazed his head in the Biafra War
Born	Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (1938-08-25)25 August 1938 Ashford, Kent, England
Died	9 June 2025(2025-06-09) (aged 86) Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England
Occupation	Novelist
Education	Tonbridge School, Kent
Period	1969–2025
Genre	Crime fiction Thriller
Notable works	The Day of the Jackal The Odessa File The Dogs of War The Fourth Protocol The Fist of God No Comebacks
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1956–1958
Rank	Pilot officer
Service number	5010968

Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born August 25, 1938, died June 9, 2025) was a famous English writer and journalist. He was super well-known for writing exciting adventure books called thrillers. Some of his most famous books include The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, and The Dogs of War. Many of his stories were so popular they became best-sellers, meaning lots of people bought them. Over a dozen of his books were even turned into movies! By 2006, he had sold over 70 million books, and they were translated into more than 30 different languages so people all over the world could read them.

Learning and Growing Up

Frederick Forsyth was born in a town called Ashford in Kent, England, on August 25, 1938. He went to Tonbridge School, which is a well-known school in Kent where students could live and study.

Adventures in Real Life: Flying and Reporting

Flying High and Telling Stories

Before he became a writer, Forsyth had some exciting jobs! He served in the Royal Air Force (often called the RAF) as a pilot. This was part of something called National Service, where young men had to serve in the military for a time. He even flew a cool jet called the de Havilland Vampire! After his time in the RAF, he became a journalist. This means he wrote news stories. He worked for Reuters, a big news company, starting in 1961. Then, in 1965, he joined the BBC, another famous news organization, where he reported on events happening around the world.

Forsyth talked about his early days as a journalist. He covered news in France, including a time when someone tried to harm the French president, Charles de Gaulle. He had never been to Africa before, but then he went to report on the Nigerian Civil War. This was a war between Biafra and Nigeria. He worked for the BBC there in 1967.

Many people thought the war would end quickly because Biafra didn't have as many weapons as Nigeria. But Forsyth wanted to keep reporting on what was happening. He asked the BBC if he could stay longer.

He said the BBC told him, "it is not our policy to cover this war." At that time, the Vietnam War was big news every day. Forsyth felt that the news about Nigeria was being hidden. He didn't like that. So he decided, "you may... not be covering it, but I'm going to cover it." He quit his job and went back to Biafra on his own. He stayed there for most of the next two years, writing about the war.

He wrote his first book about his experiences, called The Biafra Story, in 1969.

Later, in 2015, Forsyth shared that while he was in Biafra, he also gave information to MI6, which is Britain's secret intelligence service. He said he did this for 20 years but wasn't paid for it.

Throughout his life, Forsyth sometimes spoke on the radio about important issues. He also wrote articles for newspapers. Until August 2023, he wrote a weekly column for the Daily Express newspaper. He also narrated (told the story for) several documentary films.

Becoming a Master Storyteller

Forsyth said he started writing novels because he needed money, not because he always dreamed of being a novelist. When he was a boy, he wanted to be a fighter pilot! When he switched from flying to journalism, it was to see the world. He once said, "I never wanted to be a writer," but he wrote his first big novel, The Day of the Jackal, because he was "skint, stony broke" (which means he had no money). He used the same research skills for his books that he used as a journalist.

Famous Thriller Books

The Day of the Jackal, published in 1971, was a huge hit all over the world. It even won a special award called the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. The story is about a secret group that hires a skilled assassin to try and get rid of the French President, Charles de Gaulle. This exciting book was made into a popular movie and later a TV show.

His next big novel was The Odessa File (1972). In this book, a reporter tries to find a former Nazi SS officer (a member of a powerful group in Nazi Germany) who is hiding in modern Germany. The reporter finds out about him from the diary of a Jewish person who survived the Holocaust (a terrible time when millions of Jewish people were killed by the Nazis). The former officer is being protected by a secret group called ODESSA that helps ex-Nazis. This book also became a movie starring Jon Voight. Many readers thought ODESSA was a real organization, but historians don't all agree on that.

In The Dogs of War (1974), a rich businessman hires a team of mercenaries (soldiers who fight for money) to take over the government of an African country. He wants to put a new leader in charge who will let him mine valuable platinum (a precious metal) very cheaply. This book was also turned into a movie in 1980.

The Shepherd was a shorter, illustrated story published in 1975. It's about a scary flight an RAF pilot has while flying home for Christmas in the 1950s. He has a mysterious experience and tries to figure out how he was saved.

Then came The Devil's Alternative in 1979. This story is set in 1982. The Soviet Union (a country that used to exist, made up of Russia and other states) is having a very bad year for growing food. The U.S. offers to help, but wants some political and military promises in return. This causes arguments within the Soviet government. Some even think war might be the answer. Things get even more complicated with freedom fighters from Ukraine. It's a tangled story involving an oil tanker, a hijacked airplane, and many governments.

In 1982, Forsyth published No Comebacks, a book of ten short stories. He had written some of these stories earlier. Many of them take place in Ireland, where Forsyth was living at the time. One story, There Are No Snakes in Ireland, won him another Edgar Allan Poe Award.

The Fourth Protocol came out in 1984. It's about a secret plan by some people in the Soviet Union to hide a small atomic bomb near an American airbase in the UK. Their goal is to change the results of an upcoming British election and get a government elected that is against NATO (a group of countries that agree to protect each other), against America, and friendly to the Soviet Union. This book was made into a movie in 1987 starring Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine. The movie changed a lot of the political parts of the story.

Forsyth's tenth book, The Negotiator (1989), is about the American President's son being kidnapped. One man is given the tough job of trying to get him back safely.

Two years later, in 1991, The Deceiver was published. This book has four short stories about a British secret agent named Sam McCready. At the beginning of the book, Sam's boss wants him to retire early. The four stories are told to a special committee to try and convince them to let Sam keep his job as a spy.

In 1994, Forsyth released The Fist of God. This novel is about the first Gulf War. It also talks about a secret Iraqi supergun project called Project Babylon and the competition between different spy agencies. Next, in 1996, he published Icon, which is about a dangerous group trying to take power in Russia after the Soviet Union ended.

Forsyth in 2003

In 1999, Forsyth wrote The Phantom of Manhattan, which is a sequel (a story that continues a previous one) to the famous story The Phantom of the Opera. He said he wanted to try something different from his usual thrillers. He explained, "I had done mercenaries, assassins, Nazis, murderers, terrorists, special forces soldiers, fighter pilots, you name it, and I got to think, could I actually write about the human heart?" However, this book wasn't as popular as his thrillers, so he went back to writing exciting modern-day adventure stories.

In 2001, The Veteran, another collection of short stories, was published. This was followed by Avenger in 2003. Avenger is about a rich Canadian man who hires a Vietnam veteran (a soldier who fought in the Vietnam War) to find the person who killed his grandson and bring them to the US. This novel was also made into an movie.

The Afghan, published in 2006, is connected to his earlier book The Fist of God. It's set in the near future. The story is about a dangerous plan by al-Qaeda (a terrorist group) to attack Western countries. Leaders in the US and UK decide to try a risky plan: they replace an Afghan Taliban commander (a member of a group in Afghanistan) held prisoner with a retired British soldier, Colonel Mike Martin (who was also in The Fist of God).

The Cobra, published in 2010, brings back some characters from Avenger.

On August 20, 2013, his novel The Kill List was published. It was announced that a movie version of this story would be directed by Rupert Sanders.

On September 10, 2015, Forsyth published his autobiography (the story of his own life), called The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue.

In January 2018, it was announced that Forsyth would write his eighteenth novel. This thriller would be about computer hackers, inspired by real-life stories. The Fox was released as an e-book in October 2018 and as a hardcover book in November. The Fox is a spy story about a very talented hacker who has autism.

Special Recognitions

On February 16, 2012, an organization called the Crime Writers' Association announced that Forsyth had won their Cartier Diamond Dagger award. This special award was given to him to honor all the great books he had written during his career.

Forsyth was also given a special title, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), in 1997. This was to recognize his important work in literature (writing books).

Forsyth on TV and Radio

In September 2005, Forsyth appeared on a British TV game show called Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He won £250,000 (a lot of money!) for charity. He even knew the answer to the £500,000 question, but he decided to play it safe and keep the £250,000. He also appeared on other TV shows like Question Time in 2007, where he shared his opinions on climate change. He was on The One Show in 2008 and Eggheads in 2015. He was also interviewed on BBC radio about issues related to the military.

What Forsyth Believed: His Political Ideas

Forsyth was a Eurosceptic, which means he was not sure if being part of the European Union (a group of European countries working together) was a good idea for Britain. He was also a member of the Conservative Party in the UK. He supported Brexit, which was the UK's decision to leave the European Union.

He was a patron (a special supporter) of The People's Book Prize and an organization called Better Off Out, which wanted Britain to leave the EU. In 2003, he received an award from a group called Conservative Way Forward for his support of the Conservative political movement. He also supported the Young Britons' Foundation, an organization for young people interested in conservative ideas.

In 2005, he did not support Kenneth Clarke when he wanted to become the leader of the Conservative Party. Instead, he supported another politician, David Davis. Before the 2005 general election, Forsyth expressed strong opinions about the Iraq War and supported an anti-war campaigner. In 2016, Forsyth was even shown as a character in a BBC TV drama called Reg about this campaign.

Forsyth's Family and Later Life

Frederick Forsyth married Carole Cunningham, who used to be a model, in 1973. They had two children together. Their marriage ended in 1988. He later married Sandy Molloy in 1994. Sadly, Sandy Molloy passed away in October 2024. Forsyth also had a relationship with the actress Faye Dunaway. Forsyth used to live in a very large house in Hertfordshire, England, with his family. In 2010, he moved to Buckinghamshire.

In 2016, he said he was going to stop writing thriller books. He explained that his wife told him he was getting too old to travel to dangerous places, which he often did for research for his exciting stories.

Saying Goodbye

Forsyth passed away at his home in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, on June 9, 2025. He was 86 years old and had been ill for a short time.

Filmography

As writer only, except for Soldiers, as presenter. He also made an uncredited cameo as the Radio Moscow newsreader in The Fourth Protocol.

Film

Television

Theatre

Video

Video games

Music videos

Music

Forsyth wrote lyrics to a lament titled "Fallen Soldier", with music by Gareth Ellis Williams, which was released as a single by Royal Opera House soprano Melissa Alder in 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Frederick Forsyth para niños

• List of bestselling novels in the United States