John le Carré, the well-known author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, passed away recently. He was born in 1931 and spent time working for the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service in Great Britain during the 1950s and 1960s. He used this material for many of his best-selling novels.
Wealth Advisor’s recent article titled “John le Carré dead: What was famous spy novelist's net worth? Author's fortune unveiled” reports that the author started working for the secret services while studying German in Switzerland in the late 1940s. After a few years of teaching at Eton, he joined the British Foreign Service as an intelligence officer. During his career at MI5, he was inspired by his colleague (novelist John Bingham) to begin penning novels using the pseudonym of John le Carré.
Jonny Geller, CEO of the Curtis Brown Group described le Carré as an "undisputed giant of English literature."
"He defined the cold war era and fearlessly spoke truth to power in the decades that followed … I have lost a mentor, an inspiration and most importantly, a friend. We will not see his like again.”
Le Carré’s net worth is estimated at $100 million.
George Smiley was le Carré's most famous character. The character appeared in the author's 1961 debut, Call for the Dead, and then in the 1962 novel A Murder of Quality.
By the time Smiley was featured in the novelist's third book, le Carré's was famous.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold was deemed “the best spy story I have ever read” by fellow author Graham Greene.
Three Smiley novels followed in the 1970s: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley’s People. The novels were turned into TV movies and feature films, adding to le Carré's considerable fortune. Most recently, The Night Manager, in 2016, starred Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.
The latest adaptation was The Little Drummer Girl in 2018, with Alexander Skarsgårdr and Florence Pugh.
Reference: The Wealth Advisor (Dec. 15, 2020) “John le Carré dead: What was famous spy novelist's net worth? Author's fortune unveiled”
