Arthur C. Clarke Net Worth

Background and career

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, inventor, undersea explorer and TV series host.

He popularised space travel and wrote many books and many essays for popular magazines. In 1961, he received the Kalinga Prize, a UNESCO award for popularising science. Clarke's science and science fiction writings earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age". His science fiction writings in particular earned him a number of Hugo and Nebula awards, which, along with a large readership, made him one of the leading figures of the genre. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, regarded as one of the most influential films of all time.

Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society (BIS). In 1945, he proposed a satellite communication system using geostationary orbits. He was the chairman of the BIS from 1946 to 1947 and again in 1951–1953.

Clarke emigrated to Ceylon in 1956 to pursue his interest in scuba diving. That year he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient original Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee. In the 1980s, Clarke hosted television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death.

Clarke was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1989 "for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka". He was knighted in 2000, after requesting the honours be postponed due to child sex abuse allegations, later dismissed. He was also awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.