Frederick Forsyth (born August 25, 1938, Ashford, Kent, England—died June 9, 2025, Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England) was a British author of best-selling thriller novels noted for their journalistic style and fast-paced plots based on international political affairs and personalities. Forsyth’s books included The Day of the Jackal (1971), The Odessa File (1972), The Dogs of War (1974), and The Fox (2018).

Education and journalism career

Forsyth attended the University of Granada, Spain, and served in the Royal Air Force before becoming a journalist. He was a reporter for the British newspaper the Eastern Daily Press from 1958 to 1961 and a European correspondent for the Reuters news agency from 1961 to 1965. He worked as a correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation until he was reassigned in 1968 after criticizing British aid to Nigeria during the Biafran war; The Biafra Story (1969) was his nonfiction history of the war. His experiences as a news correspondent gave Forsyth the knowledge to write realistic thrillers.

Books

Forsyth’s first and most-admired novel, The Day of the Jackal (1971; film 1973 and 1997 [the latter as The Jackal]), is based on rumors he had heard of an actual attempt to assassinate French Pres. Charles de Gaulle. Several other carefully researched thrillers followed, including The Odessa File (1972; film 1974), about a search for a Nazi war criminal, and The Dogs of War (1974; film 1980), about an uprising in a fictional African nation. Forsyth’s works emphasize the power of individuals to change the world and history.

Forsyth’s later novels included The Devil’s Alternative (1979), The Fourth Protocol (1984; film 1987), The Negotiator (1989), The Fist of God (1994), Icon (1996; TV movie 2005), Avenger (2003; TV movie 2006), The Kill List (2013), and The Fox (2018). Among his short-story collections were No Comebacks (1982) and The Veteran (2001). Many of his novels and stories were adapted for film and television.

MI6

The realism of his works raised speculation that Forsyth had worked for the British intelligence agency MI6. In 2015, shortly before the release of his autobiography, The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue, Forsyth confirmed the rumors. He claimed his association with MI6 began during the Biafran war and continued for more than two decades. In 1997 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).