Andy Weir Biography: Wife, Children, Age, Height, Net Worth, Books, Parents

Andrew Taylor Weir, commonly known as Andy Weir, is a celebrated American Author, and Science Fiction Writer, known for his mastery of hard sci-fi that blends rigorous science with gripping survival narratives.

He rocketed to fame with his self-published 2011 debut The Martian, a story of an astronaut stranded on Mars that became a global bestseller, earned the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and spawned Ridley Scott’s Oscar-nominated 2015 film starring Matt Damon.

Weir followed with the lunar heist thriller Artemis (2017) and the critically adored Project Hail Mary (2021), a Hugo finalist that reaffirmed his gift for turning orbital mechanics and chemistry into page-turning drama.

Profile

• Full Name: Andrew Taylor Weir
• Stage Name: Andy Weir
• Born: June 16, 1972
• Age: 53 years old
• Birthplace: Davis, California, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Author, Science Fiction Writer
• Height: 1.85m
• Parents: John Weir, Marylou Weir
• Siblings: 1
• Spouse: Ashley Weir
• Children: 1
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $50 million

Early Life and Education

Andrew Taylor Weir was born on June 16, 1972, in Davis, California, as the only son of particle physicist John Weir and electrical engineer Marylou Weir.

Growing up surrounded by slide rules and science journals, he taught himself to program on his father’s Commodore 64 at age eight and devoured classics by Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein.

He attended Davis Senior High School, then enrolled at the University of California, San Diego to study computer science, but left before graduating to chase software engineering jobs.

Weir later took classes at UC Davis, yet his real education came from self-directed deep dives into orbital mechanics, chemistry, and relativity—knowledge that would power his novels.

He is of European descent, and he kept his religion private.

Career

Andy Weir spent his twenties and thirties as a software engineer at companies like AOL, Blizzard Entertainment, and MobileIron, writing fiction purely for fun on the side.

He began posting short stories on his website in the late 1990s, building a small but loyal following.

In 2011 he serialized The Martian chapter-by-chapter online for free; reader demand convinced him to self-publish it on Amazon for 99 cents, where it shot to #1 on the Kindle charts.

Crown Publishing snapped up the rights for six figures, and within months 20th Century Fox bought the film option—turning Weir overnight from coder to literary phenomenon.

The Martian’s 2015 film adaptation grossed over $630 million worldwide, earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, and launched Weir into the stratosphere.

He quit his day job and delivered Artemis in 2017, a high-stakes caper set on a moon colony that debuted at #1 on the New York Times list.

His third novel, Project Hail Mary (2021), again hit #1, drew comparisons to The Martian for its lone-hero-against-the-cosmos plot, and landed a seven-figure film deal with MGM starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller (filming began in 2024).

Weir’s short fiction has appeared in anthologies, and he regularly collaborates with scientists to keep his work as accurate as possible.

Andy Weir remains one of the most bankable names in science fiction, with each new release an event for readers and Hollywood alike.

He mentors aspiring writers through his website, speaks at NASA and SETI events, and continues to write the kind of meticulously researched, character-driven stories that make astrophysics feel like the most exciting adventure imaginable—ensuring his influence on the genre will endure for decades.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: Unknown
• Facebook Handle: Unknown
• Twitter Handle: @andyweirauthor

Personal Life

Andy Weir married Ashley, a scientist, in a private ceremony in 2019 after years of keeping his personal life largely offline.

The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2021—an event Weir described as “the best plot twist ever.”

Net Worth

Andy Weir has an estimated net worth of $50 million.

He built this fortune primarily through global book sales (The Martian alone has sold over 15 million copies), massive film option and adaptation deals—including eight-figure sums for Project Hail Mary—plus royalties, speaking fees, and audiobook revenue that continue to flow years after publication.