Richard Phillips Biography
Richard Phillips (born May 16, 1955) is an American merchant mariner and author who served as captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009.
Phillips was born in Massachusetts, Of Irish descent, and graduated from Winchester High School in 1973. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and planned to study international law but transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, from which he graduated in 1979. During his schooling, Phillips worked as a taxi driver in Boston.
Age
Richard was born on May 16, 1955, in Winchester, Massachusetts, United States. He is now 67 years old as of 2022.
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Richard Phillips Net Worth
Phillips has a net worth of approximately $5 Million as 0f 2023. Furthermore, his real struggle was transformed into an Oscar’s nominated movie, Captain Phillips, where Tom Hanks portrayed his character in 2013.
The movie earned more than $218 million worldwide. As a successful author, Phillips undoubtedly enjoys a riveting net worth. However, his actual earnings remain confined to date.
He has been a regular author and has published more than ten books as of now. His other works include Dead Shift, The Kasari Nexus, Once Dead, The Meridian Ascent, Curse of the Chosen, and so on.
However, Richard doesn’t seem to be limiting himself in only writing books as he is also involved in releasing introductory trailers for every one of his books.
Richard Phillips Wife
The pair first met when Richard’s wife, Andrea was a nursing student. Richard started dating Andrea after which the couple decided to give their love a new name of marriage.
Andrea and Richard met way back in Boston. After falling for each other, the beautiful couple exchanged marriage vows in front of their friends and families in 1987.
Relishing the marriage voyage for more than 30 years, Richard and Andrea reside in Underhill, Vermont and are the parents of two children, Mariah and Danny.
Their relationship fortified after the haunting incident in 2009 when the Somali pirates hijacked Richard’s ship and he escaped heroically.
During the situation, Richard’s half-sister (Andrea’s sister) named Gina Coggio was also equally worried about Richard.
She also said that Richard might have surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew.
Richard, later shared an indescribable joy of being alive after the bizarre event with his family.
Phillip’s wife tearfully thanked the Navy crew that rescued her husband from the horrifying situation. The particular circumstance made Richard realize that the only thing that comes to mind when you are down is, family.
Although the event was dreadful, it enriched the affection among Richard’s family and brought them closer.
Richard Phillips Art
In 1990 Richard Phillips began to paint. He painted to stave off the loneliness. Moreover, he painted to break up the monotony. He painted to fill the long days.
In addition he painted to keep his heart soft and hope alive. However he had no intention of pleading to a lesser crime for less time. His convictions were strong and he never wavered; he was an innocent man.
The watercolors Richard created were symbols of hope and survival. Some of the paintings were dark and haunting while others were vibrant and full of light and life.
He began painting custom greeting cards for fellow inmates to purchase. The proceeds from that small enterprise afforded him a little bit of cash to purchase art supplies.
Over the course of nearly 30 years, Richard created a moving, thought-provoking, diverse body of art that he is getting ready to share with the public.
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Richard Phillips Author
Following the hijacking, Phillips published A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea. Columbia Pictures optioned the book and acquired the film rights in spring 2010.
In March 2011, it was announced that Tom Hanks would star as Phillips, Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Muse and Faysal Ahmed as Najee in a Sony Pictures film based on the hijacking and Phillips’ book, scripted by Billy Ray, and produced by the team behind The Social Network.
Richard Phillips Merchant Mariner
The United States Merchant Marine refers to either United States civilian mariners, or to U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels.
Both the civilian mariners and the merchant’s vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors and engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States.
The Merchant Marine primarily transports cargo and passengers during peacetime; in times of war, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the United States Navy and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and material for the military.
Merchant Marine officers may also be commissioned as military officers by the Department of Defense. This is commonly achieved by commissioning unlimited tonnage Merchant Marine officers as Strategic Sealift Officers in the Naval Reserves.
Merchant mariners move cargo and passengers between nations and within the United States, and operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, charter boats and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways.