David Attenborough Net Worth

David Attenborough's Quotes

• As far as I'm concerned, if there is a supreme being then He chose organic evolution as a way of bringing into existence the natural world . . . which doesn't seem to me to be necessarily blasphemous at all.
• [speaking in 2007] Some scientists suggest that up to a quarter of animal species could be extinct by 2050. But it's not too late - you can be involved in saving planet Earth. If you are a child, this is your future. If you're a parent, it's your legacy. The time to act is now.
• Steve Irwin did wonderful conservation work but I was uncomfortable about some of his stunts. Even if animals aren't aware that you are not treating them with respect, the viewers are.
• I had a huge advantage when I started 50 years ago - my job was secure. I didn't have to promote myself. These days there's far more pressure to make a mark, so the temptation is to make adventure television or personality shows. I hope the more didactic approach won't be lost.
• It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.

Interesting Facts about David Attenborough

1. In the mid-sixties became the Controller of BBC2. Later, he became the BBC's Director of Programmes. The British Academy awarded David Attenborough the Desmond Davis Award in 1970, and a Fellowship in 1979.
2. He is the brother of actor/director Lord Richard Attenborough and John Attenborough. Also, during World War Two, his parents adopted two German Jewish girls, who had been brought to Britain as part of the Kindertransport.
3. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983.
4. He is the brother-in-law of Sheila Sim.
5. He is the uncle of director Michael Attenborough and actress Charlotte Attenborough.
6. While filming "The Living Planet", he saw his balloon crash land in southern Scotland. When he finally found a farmhouse, the farmer recognized him from the TV, and said he could he use the phone if he wished his wee daughter a happy birthday. When he returned with his young girl he said to her: "This is David. He's come by balloon to wish you a happy birthday." Attenborough said "Happy birthday." The dour farmer replied: "The telephone's over there.".
7. 50 years of natural history programme making series has made him the most travelled person in human history, except for astronauts.
8. As head of BBC-2 he introduced British audiences to colour TV, and gave the go-ahead to Monty Python's Flying Circus.
9. He was awarded the Order of Merit (OM) by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2005.
10. He has a daughter, a son, and several grandchildren.
11. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours List, made a Knight Bachelor in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours List, a CVO (Commander of the Royal Victorian Order) in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours List and a CH (Companion of Honour) in the 1996 Queen's New Year Honours List.
12. He is a fan of Emmylou Harris.
13. On 16 December 2006, he won the title of Greatest Living British Icon, voted for by viewers of BBC Two's The Culture Show, beating singers Sir Paul McCartney and Morrissey (Morrissey).
14. He presented Pentangle with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007.
15. He merited a place in Time magazine's Special Issue "Heroes of the Environment" (Leaders & Visionaries section) with a tribute penned by Jeremy Paxman (Issue October 29, 2007).
16. He is a patron of the Optimum Population Trust, a group seeking to cut the growth in human population.
17. For his birthday, one of his sisters gave him a fossilized animal trapped in amber, which later grew into an entire collection of animals in amber. In Jurassic Park (1993), his brother Richard Attenborough grows dinosaurs from mosquitoes trapped in amber.
18. In 2011, his home became the key to solving a murder from 132 years earlier. In 1879, a widow was killed by her housekeeper and decapitated. She chopped up the body and fed pieces of it to nearby children. The housekeeper was arrested when a severed foot was found, and ultimately convicted and executed for the murders, but her victim's head was never found, until it was discovered buried under the ground of Attenborough's house. Workmen found its remains while excavating for an extension on his home. It turns out his home was located near where Attenborough's house near stands, and the house itself used to be a pub frequented by the murderer.
19. Although he commissioned the famous music series The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971) during his period as a BBC executive, he has admitted that he never actually watched it, as he doesn't like rock music.
20. He is the great-uncle of Tom Attenborough.