Mary Higgins Clark is one of the most beloved authors in America. She has written over two dozen best-selling novels that have been translated into more than two dozen languages and sold over 100 million copies worldwide. With such immense success, so what Mary Higgins Clark net worth is in 2023.
In this article, Fidlar will take a closer look at her wealth, career and personal life, as well as her current net worth.
What is Mary Higgins’ Net Worth and Salary 2023?
The late Mary Higgins Clark, an acclaimed author of mystery and suspense, was esteemed for her astounding $140 million net worth at the time of her death in 2020. Her literary works saw incredible success, with over 100 million books sold across the United States alone throughout her lifetime.
Mary Higgins Overview: Why is Mary Higgins Famous?
Early Life
Mary Higgins Clark, born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins on December 24, 1927 in The Bronx, New York, was the daughter of Luke Joseph Higgins and Nora C. Durkin, with Luke hailing from Ireland.
She was blessed with two brothers, Joseph and John; however, Joseph tragically passed away shortly after graduating from high school, due to contracting spinal meningitis during his service in the Navy.
At the tender age of 7, Higgins Clark wrote her first poem. As a young child, she was also fond of writing short plays. Her family owned an Irish pub and had a home in The Bronx, plus a cottage on Long Island Sound.
But due to the economic strain caused by the Great Depression, many of their patrons were unable to pay their bar tabs, and the Clark family started to struggle financially in the late 1930s.
In 1939, Mary was forced to leave the security of her home when her father passed away in his sleep; her mother needed to rent out her room in order to provide for the family.
With her father’s passing, Mary was forced to attend Saint Francis Xavier Grammar School; however, due to her hard work and dedication, Mary was eventually awarded a scholarship to study at Villa Maria Academy, where the teachers encouraged and fostered her budding passion for writing.
When Joseph passed away, the Navy promised Nora a life pension, and Mary was relieved from the financial burden of helping to pay the bills.
At one point, the family had to resort to taking a drastic measure – She took a job as a switchboard operator at the Shelton Hotel – in order to make ends meet, yet sadly, it was still not enough to save their home, and so they eventually had to move into an apartment.
Career
After enrolling at Wood Secretarial School, Higgins Clark embarked on a career as a secretary in Remington Rand’s internal advertising division. To further her skills, she took night classes in advertising and promotion and soon was writing catalog copy for Remington Rand.
Interestingly enough, she also had the chance to model in their brochures alongside future star Grace Kelly.
In December 1949, Mary decided to forsake her career as a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines when she married Warren Clark; however, her passion for writing ultimately led her to New York University, and in 1956, her short story “Stowaway” was published by “Extension Magazine.”
On the fateful day in 1964 when Higgins Clark secured the role of writing radio scripts, tragedy struck – Warren had a fatal heart attack and his mother, upon hearing the news of her son’s death, collapsed and passed away.
Mary, however, saw a beacon of light in the darkness; following her appointment to write four-minute scripts for the “Portrait of a Patriot” radio segment, she was requested to take on two additional radio series.
By the late 1960s, magazines had ceased to print short stories to the extent they had previously, thus prompting Higgins Clark’s agent to suggest she compose a novel.
The outcome of that suggestion was “Aspire to the Heavens,” a work of fiction depicting the relationship between George and Martha Washington. Published in 1968, the novel unfortunately was “remaindered as it came off the press”.
In 1971, Mary made the bold decision to enroll at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, and eight years later she achieved the extraordinary success of graduating summa cum laude in 1979.
In 1975, Mary decided to switch to suspense with her second novel, and Simon & Schuster purchased the book for a staggering $3,000.
Three months later, the paperback rights sold for an incredible $100,000. Entitled “Where are the Children?” it became an instant bestseller, and Simon & Schuster offered an unprecedented $1.5 million for Mary’s subsequent novel, 1977’s “A Stranger is Watching.”
In the ’80s, she published novels such as
- “A Cry in the Night” (1982), “Weep No More, My Lady” (1987)
- “While My Pretty One Sleeps” (1989)
- “Loves Music, Loves to Dance” (1991)
- “I’ll Be Seeing You” (1993)
- “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1995)
- “Silent Night” (1995)
- “Bad Behavior” (1995)
- “Moonlight Becomes You” (1996)
- “Pretend You Don’t See Her” (1997)
- “You Belong to Me” (1998)
- “We’ll Meet Again” (1999) in the’90s.
In 2007, Mary Higgins Clark delighted readers with the publication of her first children’s book, “Ghost Ship,” followed shortly by “No Place Like Home” (2005), “Two Little Girls in Blue” (2006), “I Heard That Song Before” (2007), and “Just Take My Heart” (2009).
In 2010, La Sabotière, a Paris-based company, kickstarted the adaptation of Mary’s crime novels into TV movies.
In 2019, it was announced that La Sabotière had joined forces with Montréal’s Reel One Entertainment and the U.S.’s Element 8 Entertainment to create an anthology series based on her novels, with the first season based on “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
The “Under Suspicion” series by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke spans from 2014-2020, with titles such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (2014), “The Cinderella Murder” (2014), “All Dressed in White” (2015), “The Sleeping Beauty Killer” (2016), “Every Breath You Take” (2017), “You Don’t Own Me” (2018), and “Piece of My Heart” (2020).
An adventure through time, this series will have you hooked with suspense and thrill! Not only did Mary pen the beloved “Alvirah and Willy” series, but she also wrote stories that sometimes interweaved with her daughter Carol’s “Reagan Reilly” series.
Personal Life
On December 26, 1949, Mary and her neighbor, Warren Clark, tied the knot – and until Warren’s untimely death from a heart attack in 1964, the two were inseparable.
Together they welcomed five children into their family – Marilyn, Warren Jr., David, Carol, and Patty (whom they had named after Patricia Schartle Myrer, Warren’s agent).
As a child, Patty was a Gerber Baby and David made an appearance in a United Way advertisement. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Carol became a successful mystery writer and the two collaborated on several novels.
Mary Jane Clark, David’s former wife, was an acclaimed author known for the suspenseful “Key News” novels and the “Wedding Cake Mysteries” series.
Tragically, their son David suffers from Fragile X Syndrome. Following Warren’s passing, Mary Higgins Clark tied the knot with Raymond Ploetz on the 8th of August, 1978, only to annul their “disastrous” union in 1986.
Later on, November 30, 1996, she wed retired Merrill Lynch Futures CEO John J. Conheeney, and the two of them stayed together until his demise in 2018.
Death
Mary sadly passed away on January 31, 2020, in the city of Naples, Florida. Simon & Schuster officially confirmed the news, tweeting, “She left this world peacefully this evening, surrounded by family and friends, at the ripe age of 92.” According to findagrave.com, Higgins Clark was laid to rest at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.
Awards and Honors
In 1980, Mary Higgins Clark was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France, and in 1999, she won the Deauville Film Festival Literary Award.
Furthering her recognition for her contributions to the literary world, in 1994 she was bestowed the Spirit of Achievement Award from Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as a Gold Medal in Education from the National Arts Club.
In 1993, Mary was bestowed the American Irish Historical Society’s highest accolade, the Gold Medal of Honor, followed by a Horatio Alger Award (1997), the Bronx Legend Award (1999), and, most notably, an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2001. Her incredible achievements also earned her no less than 18 honorary doctorates.
With her impressive credentials, Higgins Clark served as the President of the Mystery Writers of America (1987), Chairman of the International Crime Congress (1988), and a board member of the Mystery Writers of America for numerous years.
At the 55th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards, it was an immense honour for Mary Higgins Clark to be inducted as a Grand Master; moreover, it was announced that Simon & Schuster had created the Mary Higgins Clark Award to be given to suspense authors by the Mystery Writers of America.
Having been bestowed the esteemed titles of Dame of Malta, Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, Dame of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, Mary was further honored with a Graymoor Award from the Franciscan Friars and a Christopher Life Achievement Award.
Additionally, Mary was a valued member of the Catholic Communal Fund Board and the Hackensack Hospital Board of Governors.
FAQs about Mary Higgins
Where does Mary Higgins Clark Live?
Born in the Bronx in 1927, Mary Higgins Clark forged a deep connection with New York City that spanned her entire life; in 1949, she and her husband Warren Clark moved to Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan, solidifying their bond with the Big Apple.
Who is The Richest Writer In The World?
With an estimated net worth of $1.3 Billion, Elisabeth Badinter has earned the title of the world’s wealthiest author of all time!
What Author Has Written the Most Books?
Ryoki Inoue, the prolific Brazilian author, has set a Guinness World Record for writing the most books, having published over a thousand books under multiple pseudonyms. His commitment to his craft was such that he was known to write around the clock until a book was completed.
What is Stephen King Net Worth?
In an act of generosity, renowned author Stephen King, estimated to have a net worth of $500 million dollars, donates an impressive $4 million annually, according to the reliable source, Celebrity Net Worth.
Conclusion
Mary Higgins Clark has achieved remarkable success in her career and has been able to amass a great net worth as a result. She is an inspiration for aspiring writers everywhere, having achieved so much in her lifetime.
If you want to learn more about Mary Higgins Clark, her books, or her net worth, be sure to check out our website for the latest information. Thanks for reading!
