David Attenborough Net Worth

David Attenborough’s Net Worth: $ 35 Million

Sir David Frederick Attenborough or David Attenborough is an English veteran broadcaster and naturalist whose net worth is estimated to be $ 35 million.

David Attenborough is best known for writing and presenting the nine Life series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit. He is also a former senior manager at the BBC. He has served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television. He is only the person who has won BAFTAs for programs in each of black and white, color, HD, and 3D. Attenborough is widely considered a national treasure in Britain. For last six decades, he has been the voice of natural history program around the world. He was named among the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide poll for the BBC. His contributions in broadcasting and wildlife film-making are unparalleled. 

David Attenborough is serving as the vice-president of BTCV and vice-president of Fauna and Flora International. He is also president of Butterfly Conservation and president of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.

Attenborough’s Early Life and Career

David Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926, in Isleworth. He grew up in College House on the campus of the University College, where his father, Frederick, was principal. When he was young, he was interested in collecting fossils, stones, and natural specimens. He attended the Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys. He won a scholarship to Clare College of Cambridge in 1945. He studied and obtained a degree in natural sciences. He was called for national service in the Royal Navy and spent two years stationed in North Wales and the Firth of Forth.

First years at the BBC

After his stint in the Navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He joined the BBC in 1952 and became a producer for the Talks department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His association with natural history programs began when he produced and presented the three-part series Animal Patterns. Attenborough became the presenter of Zoo Quest; first broadcast in 1954 BBC Natural History Unit’s productions. Following the establishment of the BBC Natural History Unit in 1957, Attenborough formed his own department, the Travel and Exploration Unit. This helped him to continue front Zoo Quest as well as produce other documentaries, notably the Travellers' Tales and Adventure series.  Attenborough resigned from the permanent staff of the BBC in the early 1960s to study for a postgraduate degree but soon returned to the BBC as controller of BBC Two.

BBC Administration

In March 1965, Attenborough became the controller of BBC Two. Under his tenure, he included music, the arts, entertainment, archaeology, experimental comedy, travel, drama, sport, business, science and natural history in the weekly schedules. Attenborough took advantage by introducing snooker and the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy to Television when BBC became the first broadcaster to broadcast in color. Attenborough was promoted to director of programs, making him responsible for the output of both BBC channels in 1969. He phoned his brother Richard to confess that he had no appetite for the job. He presented a series on The Tribal Eye, Fabulous Animals and The Explorers in 1975. A year later, the BBC signed a co-production deal with Turner Broadcasting and Life on Earth moved into production.

Life Series and other Events

In the 1970s, ’Life on Earth’ and ‘The Living Planet’ was broadcasted. ’Life on Earth’ and ‘The Living Planet’ was researched and broadcast using computer technology. He presented Life in the Freezer, the first television series to survey the natural history of Antarctica, and The Private Life of Plants, showed plants as dynamic organisms, in the 1990s.  For The Life of Mammals, broadcasted in 2002, low-light and infrared cameras were deployed to reveal the behavior of nocturnal mammals. When Life in Cold Blood was broadcasted, Attenborough had the satisfaction of completing of programs on all the major groups of terrestrial animals and plants by showcasing reptiles and amphibians. Currently, Attenborough is working on Sky 3D on 3D documentaries, a two-part series on the origins of vertebrates, and a return to Eden for a second series.

Attenborough’s Personal Life

Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel in 1950. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan. But nothing much more is known about his personal life.