Photo: Pete Souza / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Richard Phillips became famous for one extraordinary day in April 2009, when Somali pirates seized the Maersk Alabama under his command. The Hollywood version flattened him into a hero archetype, but what genuinely moves me is the ordinariness of his courage. A merchant mariner from Winchester, Massachusetts, suddenly thrust into a life-or-death standoff, he tried to shield his crew and bore the weight of impossible decisions alone on the water. That he later wrote about it, passing on the experience rather than just basking in fame, suggests real reflectiveness. I think we owe his story more nuance than the legend allows.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Phillips
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・フィリップス
- Reading
- りちゃーど・ふぃりっぷす
- Born
- May 16, 1955 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Goat
- Origin
- Winchester, Massachusetts, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / ship captain
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Winchester High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard%20Phillips%20(merchant%20mariner)
Frequently asked questions
When was Richard Phillips born?
Born May 16, 1955 (age 71).
Where is Richard Phillips from?
Richard Phillips is from Winchester, Massachusetts, United States.
What does Richard Phillips do?
Richard Phillips works as writer, ship captain.
Writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.