Who is James Riordan?
James Riordan was an author, journalist, sports historian, football player, and Russian scholar. He was born on October 10 1936, in Portsmouth. At the age of 75, James died on February 10 2012. He was well-known for his book Sport in Soviet Society, which was the first academic examination of sport in the Soviet Union and his children’s books.
He claims to be the first British footballer to play in the Soviet Union, with FC Spartak Moscow in 1963. However, there are no papers, match reports, or eyewitness testimonies to back up his allegation, and many elements in the narrative were incorrect.
| Full Name | James Riordan |
| Occupation | Novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar |
| Novels Written | Sweet Clarinet (1998), When the Guns Fall Silent (2000), The Secret Telegram (2001), The Prisoner (2001), War Song (2001), Match of Death (2003), The Gift (2004), Escape from War (2005), Rebel Cargo (2007), The Sniper (2008), Blood Runner (2011), and many more |
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Birthday and Zodiac
| Age | 75 years old (at last 2012) |
| Date of Birth | 10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012 |
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| Birth Place | Portsmouth |
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Education
| School/University | University of Birmingham |
Physical Stats
| Height | 5 feet 11 inches |
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Net Worth
| Estimated Net Worth (As in 2021) | $1.5 million |
Family and Relationship
| Father | N/A |
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| Husband/Wife or Boyfriend/ Girlfriend | N/A |
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Social Media
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Education
James Riordan was born on October 10, 1936, in Portsmouth. He learnt Russian during his National Service training in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957. He earned a degree in Russian Studies from the University of Birmingham in 1960 before becoming a professor at the London Institute of Education.
Career
Riordan attended the Communist higher party school in Moscow in 1963; he was an ardent Communist and one of the school’s few English students. Comrade Jim: The Spy Who Played for Spartak includes a description of his games for Spartak Moscow, which several Russian critics have disputed.
When James returned to England, he became a lecturer at Bradford University before going to the University of Surrey in Guildford, where he became the head of the Russian Department and was appointed a personal professor. He served as the British Olympic Association’s Olympic attaché at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He received an honorary doctorate from Grenoble University and served as President (2003-2005).
Comrade Jim: The Spy Who Played for Spartak was his autobiography, which was released in 2008. His 2008 novel The Sharpshooter is based on conversations with Soviet sniper Tania Chernova and chronicles the narrative of the topic. He has also researched “The Death Match,” a 1943 non-official association football match between Soviet POWs and Wehrmacht soldiers. He has produced an academic essay and a children’s fiction, Match of Death, about it.
Children’s novels
- 1998: Sweet Clarinet
- 2000: When the Guns Fall Silent
- 2001: The Secret Telegram
- 2001: The Prisoner
- 2001: War Song
- 2003: Match of Death
- 2004: The Gift
- 2005: Escape from War
- 2007: Rebel Cargo
- 2008: The Sniper
- 2011: Blood Runner
Children’s Anthologies
- 1974: Mistress of the Copper Mountain: Folk Tales from the Urals
- 1976: Tales from Central Russia: Russian Tales
- 1979: Tales from Tartar
- 1985: The Woman in the Moon and Other Tales of Forgotten Heroines
- 1985: Russian Gypsy Tales
- 1986: An Illustrated Treasury of Fairy and Folk Tales
- 1987: The Wild Swans
- 1987: Folk-tales of the British Isles
- 1989: The Sun Maiden and the Crescent Moon: Siberian Folk Tales
- 1998: King Arthur
- 1998: The Twelve Labours of Hercules
- 2000: Russian Folk-Tales
James Riordan and Partners
James Riordan and Partners is a corporate law business founded in 1870 and is one of Cork’s oldest surviving lawyers’ firms. We specialize in delivering high-quality, cost-effective legal services to our business customers. The company is organized into specialized teams that focus on solicitors with unique skill sets in various areas. We are known for our broad knowledge in business and litigation concerns, notably in commercial law, tax law, banking, insolvency, and property law.
The business is devoted to best practices in client responsiveness, quick service delivery, and a genuine wish to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients in the most cost-effective manner. We take pleasure in giving our clients clear, unequivocal, committed, honest, directed counsel rather than merely a choice of options. We also feel that being friendly and approachable while assisting is essential. We understand that clients need to feel at ease while communicating with their lawyers, and we work hard to make that happen.
James Riordan Blizzard
James Riordan is a Director at the Blizzard Entertainment Law Department. He manages many business teams, including eSports, StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, online behavioural advertising, Latin American, Canadian, and Australia/New Zealand. Previously, Mr Riordan worked as an attorney for Activision, Inc., Vivendi Universal Games, Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. Mr Riordan began his video game career over 20 years ago in Activision’s in-house development studio, where he worked on titles such as MechWarrior II and Heavy Gear. Mr Riordan earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Duke University and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
Did you know?
- James Riordan was 75 years old when he died.
- James Riordan was a writer, broadcaster, sports historian, footballer, and Russian scholar.
- James Riordan was born on October 10, 1936, in Portsmouth.
- He earned a degree in Russian Studies from the University of Birmingham in 1960 before becoming a professor at the London Institute of Education.