Sir David Attenborough Becomes the Oldest Emmy Winner in History at 99
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Sir David Attenborough became the oldest winner in the history of the Daytime Emmy Awards last Friday. Just eight months shy of his 100th birthday, he won the Emmy for Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans, breaking the previous record held by Dick Van Dyke, who won at age 98 for Days of Our Lives.
Secret Lives of Orangutans received three awards, including Best Daytime Personality for Attenborough. Among his fellow nominees were Anthony Mackie, star of Marvel films, for Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, and Martha Stewart for Martha Gardens.
Attenborough has spoken openly about approaching “the end of life.” In his documentary Ocean: With David Attenborough, released on his 99th birthday in May, he expressed sorrow over the current state of Earth’s ecosystems but added:
“The ocean can recover faster than we think—it can come back to life.”
He believes the key to saving the planet lies not on land but in the sea:
“When I first saw the ocean as a child, people believed wildlife should be tamed and mastered for human benefit. Now, as I near the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.”
He continued:
“If we save the ocean, we save the world. After a lifetime of filming this planet, I have no doubt that nothing is more important than the sea.”
Attenborough began producing programs for the BBC in the 1950s and hosted shows such as Zoo Quest and Life on Earth (1979). In the 21st century, he has released landmark documentaries including Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, and many more.
