Latest news with #BillScottKerr
CBC
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal, The Shepherd, dead at 86
Frederick Forsyth, the British author of The Day of the Jackal and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Lloyd said. Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent and a novelist. In 2015, he told the BBC that he had been an informant for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years, starting from when he covered a civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. Published in 1971, The Day of the Jackal propelled him into global fame. The political thriller about a professional assassin was made into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox, and more recently was adapted in a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. A Christmastime favourite He wrote more than 25 books including The Afghan, The Kill List, The Dogs of War and The Fist of God that have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said. Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, John Travolta and Christopher Walken are among the actors who starred in film or television adaptations of Forsyth's works. "Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire," said Bill Scott-Kerr, his publisher. For CBC Radio listeners, Forsyth's The Shepherd was a perennial Christmastime favourite, as read by the late As It Happens host Alan Maitland for several years. Forsyth told CBC Radio in 2004 that the novella that combined aspects of the supernatural and war stories burst out of him on a trip to Ireland with his wife at the time. "She mockingly challenged me to write her a ghost story," said Forsyth. "It was born by staring at a night sky in the middle of the winter and imagining a pilot up there and lost, and kind of screaming for help," he added. Scott-Kerr, said that Revenge of Odessa, a sequel to the 1974 book The Odessa File that Forsyth worked on with fellow thriller author Tony Kent, will be published in August.
CNN
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Day of the Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86
Frederick Forsyth, the British author of 'The Day of the Jackal' and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. 'We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers,' Lloyd said. Born in Kent, in southern England, in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962, which provided inspiration for 'The Day of the Jackal,' his bestselling political thriller about a professional assassin. Published in 1971, the book propelled him into global fame. It was made into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox as the Jackal and more recently a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. In 2015, Forsyth told the BBC that he had also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years, starting from when he covered a civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. Although Forsyth said he did other jobs for the agency, he said he was not paid for his services and 'it was hard to say no' to officials seeking information. 'The zeitgeist was different,' he told the BBC. 'The Cold War was very much on.' He wrote more than 25 books including 'The Afghan,' 'The Kill List,' 'The Dogs of War' and 'The Fist of God' that have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said. His publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, said that 'Revenge of Odessa,' a sequel to the 1974 book 'The Odessa File' that Forsyth worked on with fellow thriller author Tony Kent, will be published in August. 'Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire,' Scott-Kerr said.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies
Best-selling author Frederick Forsyth, known for thriller novels including The Day Of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86, his agent has said."We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Jonathan Lloyd said in a published more than 25 books and sold 75 million books around the world, he publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said: "Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire. He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come." This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
