--- title: "‘Day of the Jackal’ author Frederick Forsyth dies at age 86" date: "2025-06-10" modified: "2025-06-10" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/frederick-forsyth-dead-at-86/" categories: - "Books" - "Entertainment" tags: - "Entertainment" - "Famous Veterans" - "Movies" --- # ‘Day of the Jackal’ author Frederick Forsyth dies at age 86 ![frederick forsythe dead]() *English writer Frederick Forsyth shows a bullet that grazed his head in Biafra war during a visit to Finland in 1972. (Hannu Lindroos/Helsingin Sanomat)* Anything by novelist Frederick Forsyth would be a go-to book for anyone who loves heart-pounding geopolitical intrigue, action-packed spy stories, and/or complex assassination thrillers. His works were powerful because he didn’t just conjure these stories out of thin air. Like many of the great storytellers who came before him, he wrote his real life into his stories. For a fighter pilot, war correspondent, and spy, that makes for some pretty great nail-biters. He published some 24 books over a career that spanned more than 50 years. In that time, more than a dozen were adapted into films, television series, stage shows, and even a video game. They all incorporate elements of his life, including his time in the [Royal Air Force](), as a correspondent for Reuters and the BBC, and his tenure in MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence agency. His career was far from ended. A sequel to his 1972 classic “The Odessa File” [will be released in September 2025](). Unfortunately,[ he died after a brief illness]() at his home in Buckinghamshire on June 9, 2025. He was 86. Frederick McCarthy Forsyth was born in Kent on August 25, 1938. He was educated at the prestigious private Tonbridge School, and after graduation, joined the RAF. He was only 18, but became a pilot officer in 1956, gaining his permanent status as a fighter pilot the following year. After his national service ended, he would eventually join the staff of Reuters as a foreign correspondent. It was during his time at Reuters that he [witnessed the 1962 assassination attempt]() on French President Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Three years later, he was reporting with the BBC in Africa. There, he covered the Nigerian Civil War, as the separatist government of Biafra tried to secure its independence from the repressive government in Lagos. When the BBC tried to pull him out of Biafra, he decided to stay and continue his coverage. It would not only be the subject of a later book, but would also lead to Forsyth operating as [an agent for MI6](). **READ:** [**The UK’s MI6 intelligence agency really issues licenses to kill**]() The end of his journalism career necessitated a new profession. He continued writing, but this time he began writing books. As he wrote in the author’s note to a 2012 re-issue of “Day of the Jackal,” he was “broke.” He drew on his many real-world experiences for events in his works. The attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle, for example, became a central event in “Day of the Jackal.” It became a global bestseller and has been adapted into two films and a television series. ![frederick forsyth day of the jackal redmayne remake]() *Eddie Redmayne stars in the Peacock series remake of "The Day of the Jackal." (NBCUniversal)* He not only drew on his real experiences, but he also threw himself into the research for his books the way a seasoned journalist would. Forsyth became so knowledgeable about spycraft that some in the British government were forced to admit his storybook tactics [had actually been deployed]() in espionage missions. “The Odessa File” felt so real, his readers believed an underground group of former SS officers really existed. Because of Forsyth’s work, Eduard Roschmann (also known as “The Butcher of Riga”) could no longer evade justice and Swiss authorities recovered more than £1 billion in stolen Nazi gold. His books may have come at the right time, when Cold War paranoia was at a fever pitch, but Forsyth’s stories endured because they are serious, intelligent thrillers that happen to be incredibly entertaining. ![frederick forsyth the fourth protocol movie]() *The movie version of Forsyth's "The Fourth Protocol" packed a lot of spy star power. (Rank Group/ITV Studio)* **READ:** [**4 mind-boggling facts about the Cold War**]() He brought a formula to thrillers without becoming formulaic; changing the focus from who the criminal was to how they intended to commit their crime. All while he blurred the lines between fiction and real events in the same way he blurred the lines between heroes and villains. Without Frederick Forsyth, there could be no Robert Ludlum, no Tom Clancy, no Lee Child, and an unending list of other writers and their beloved characters. Imagine a world without Alex Cross, Jack Reacher, or even Jack Ryan... no thanks. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()