Sir David Attenborough made history on TV by winning the Daytime Emmy Award at the incredible age of 99. He is now the oldest person to ever win the award. At the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, October 17, 2025, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, the famous British naturalist won the award. He beat the previous record holder, Dick Van Dyke, who won it at 98 last year.
A New Record-Breaking Achievement
The famous broadcaster won the Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily award for his amazing work narrating the Netflix documentary “Secret Lives of Orangutans.” Attenborough will celebrate his 100th birthday in May 2026. This celebration will come just a few months after this historic win. Van Dyke had the record before, when he won the Daytime Emmy for guest performer in a daytime drama series. He earned this for his role on Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives” at the age of 98.
Great Competition
Attenborough beat out a lot of other nominees. These include Brad Bestelink for “Living with Leopards,” Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North, and Kirin Stone for “The Fixers.” Other nominees were Anthony Mackie for “Shark Beach With Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast,” and Martha Stewart for “Martha Gardens.” “Secret Lives of Orangutans” won three Emmys in total. This included one for its directing team in the single camera daytime non-fiction program category.
A Legendary Career in Broadcasting
Attenborough is known as one of the best natural science broadcasters. His career began in 1954 with “Zoo Quest” and has lasted for eight decades. His unique voice has been featured on many well-known shows, such as the groundbreaking “Planet Earth” series, “Blue Planet,” “The Blue Planet,” “Wild Isles,” “Life In Colour,” and “Frozen Planet.” The naturalist is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in all formats. These include black-and-white, color, high-definition, 3D, and 4K resolution.
About the Documentary That Won an Award
“Secret Lives of Orangutans” takes viewers to the untouched jungles of Sumatra. It aims to teach about a group of orangutans. The story focuses on Eden, an 8-year-old orangutan who is going through the hardest time of her life. The documentary shows why orangutans are not only very similar to humans. It highlights that they are the most relatable of all the great apes.
Other Important Winners
Drew Barrymore won Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host for her talk show at the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Lisa Yamada won the first award in the new Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category. She received the award for her work in “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Deborah Norville, a veteran journalist, also won the Lifetime Achievement Award. This recognized her many years of work in the field.
