American novelist, born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on April 12, 1947. He became known for his espionage novels that were adapted into films and series. He made his successful cinematic debut in the 1990 movie The Hunt for Red October, in which Alec Baldwin played the role of the analyst Jack Ryan. Among his most prominent works are: Patriot Games (1992), The Sum of All Fears (2002), and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). He died on October 1, 2013, of heart failure.