Frederick Forsyth, perhaps best known for penning the best-selling thriller The Day of the Jackal, has passed away.
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The veteran novelist’s literary agent, Jonathan Lloyd, confirmed his death at his home in Jordans, England, on Monday to Reuters. Lloyd added that Forsyth’s passing at 86 “followed a short illness.”
The British author, known for his thrillers and frequent appearances on bestseller lists, sold 70 million books, according to Variety. His novels, including The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, and The Dogs of War, were also adapted into films.
The 1973 film adaptation of The Day of the Jackal, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starred Edward Fox as the “Jackal,” a professional assassin hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1963.
The movie, which also featured Michael Lonsdale, was both a critical and box office success. In 2024, it was adapted into a series starring Eddie Redmayne.
Forsyth’s 1972 novel The Odessa File was turned into a 1974 film directed by Ronald Neame, starring Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell, and Maria Schell. In the film, Voight plays a young German journalist who uncovers a secret organization of former S.S. members called ODESSA. He goes undercover and discovers a plan to send biochemical warheads to Egypt for use against Israel.
The author’s book The Dogs of War was adapted into a 1980 film starring Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger. The story follows a group of mercenaries hired to overthrow the president of the fictional African Republic of Zangaro, enabling a British tycoon to mine its platinum deposits.
Forsyth’s Prolific Work on TV Rivals His Big Screen Adaptations
Per IMDb, Forsyth also received story credits for several U.S. and U.K. TV movies, including Cry of the Innocent (1980) and Code Name: Wolverine (1996). He also served as an executive producer on titles like Just Another Secret (1989) and multiple 1990 releases, such as The Price of the Bride and A Little Piece of Sunshine. Notably, his novels inspired TV movies like Hallmark’s Icon (2005) and TNT’s Avenger (2006), starring Sam Elliott and Timothy Hutton.
Frederick Forsyth’s 2013 novel, The Kill List, was once being developed as a feature film, with Lem Dobbs working on the adaptation and Rupert Sanders set to direct. However, the project never materialized.
Fredrick Forsyth Served in the Royal Air Force and Worked as a Journalist Before Becoming an Author
Frederick Forsyth was born in Ashford, Kent, and studied at the University of Granada in Spain.
At 19, he became the youngest Royal Air Force pilot, serving from 1956-58, before transitioning to journalism to pursue travel and flexibility. After starting as a provincial reporter, he joined Reuters, working in London, Paris, and East Berlin. In 1965, he joined the BBC and reported on the Biafra war in Nigeria, but resigned over disagreements with its coverage. He later went freelance and published his controversial first book, The Biafra Story.
In 1969, he drew on his experience as a Reuters reporter in France to write a thriller. In just 35 days, he finished The Day of the Jackal, which has since sold around 10 million copies.
Forsyth was married twice. His first wife was model Carole Cunningham. In 1994, he married Sandy Molloy, who passed away in 2024.
He is survived by two sons from his first marriage, Frederick Stuart and Shane Richard.