Author Tom Clancy dies at age 66

   What Ian Fleming and James Bond were to the 1960s, Tom Clancy and Jack Ryan were to the 1990s and the early part of the 21st century.
   Clancy, the author of "The Hunt for Red October" and dozens of other novels of military espionage and strategy, died Tuesday, Oct. 2. He was 66 year old.
   Clancy, like Fleming, wrote well-crafted and well-informed high-tech novels about  dashing heroes who kept the Western world safe as they traveled through a secretive world of intrigue and danger. 

Tom Clancy

   Both authors were prolific and created hugely successful novels -- some of the most popular of their eras -- that brought readers into exotic locations and situations. And both spawned movie series that became pop-culture phenomena and seem destined to continue forever. (They both crossed into the game world  too: Several video games features Jack Ryan, and a James Bond pinball machines was  popular in the 198
0s.) 
   And, like Bond, Jack Ryan is a character that all the best and handsomest leading me in Hollywood wanted to play. Every time a new actor was cast in the role, it was big news, fodder for celebration and debate.
   In honor of Clancy, here's a look at some of the actors who have portrayed his most famous hero so far:
  Alec Baldwin, "The Hunt for Red October." Kind of hard to imagine the "30 Rock" guy as a borderline superhero, but he set the standard for the Ryan character.
  Harrison Ford, "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger." Still the actor a lot of people most associate with the role. 
  Ben Affleck, "The Sum of All Fears." Not the most popular Ryan.
  Chris Pine, "Jack Ryan: Shadow One." An upcoming movie based on Clancy characters. Kenneth Branagh directs so this could be a treat.