John le Carré was a British author who had a net worth of $100 million at the time of his death. He was best known for writing espionage novels based off of his real life experiences working for the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service during the 1950s and 1960s. Several of his books were turned into feature-length films, notably “The Constant Gardener” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. John is considered by many to be one of the most significant authors of the 20th Century.
Early Life and Spy Career: John le Carré was born David John Moore Cornwell in Poole, Dorset, England on October 19, 1931. After a turbulent childhood at 16 he ditched boarding school and decamped to Switzerland where he enrolled in a language program at the University of Bern. While still a student he was recruited to become a spy for England’s M.I.6. (Britain’s version of the CIA). He spent 16 years secretly working for M.I.6. and M.I.5. (Britain’s version of the FBI). In the 1960s he lived in Berlin posing as a diplomat, but really keeping an eye on Soviet sympathizers and dissidents.
Books: David wrote his first book “Call for the Dead” in 1961. He was forbidden by the government from writing under his real name so he settled on “John le Carré”. Decades later he would claim to have forgotten how he landed on that pen name.
Unlike the suave, womanizing James Bond, le Carre’s protagonists were often unhappy, overweight, poorly-dressed, lonely men who worked as bureaucratic cogs.
It was his third novel, 1963’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” that put John le Carré on the map, becoming an international best-seller.
Le Carré also authored the novels “Call for the Dead” in 1961, “A Murder of Quality” in 1962, “The Looking Glass War” in 1965, “A Small Town in Germany” in 1968, “The Naïve and Sentimental Lover” in 1971, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” in 1974, “The Honourable Schoolboy” in 1977, “Smiley’s People” in 1979, “The Little Drummer Girl” in 1983, “A Perfect Spy” in 1986, “The Russia House” in 1989, “The Secret Pilgrim” in 1990, “The Night Manager” in 1993, “Our Game” in 1995, “The Tailor of Panama” in 1996, “Single & Single” in 1999, “The Constant Gardener” in 2001, “Absolute Friends” in 2003, “The Mission Song” in 2006, “A Most Wanted Man” in 2008, “Our King of Traitor” in 2010, “A Delicate Truth in 2013”, and “A Legacy of Spies” in 2017.
John le Carré died on December 12, 2020 at the age of 89.
| Net Worth: | $100 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Oct 19, 1931 – Dec 12, 2020 (89 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Writer, Film Producer, Actor |
| Nationality: | United Kingdom |