David Attenborough breaks record after becoming eldest Daytime Emmy winner

Sir David Attenborough has broken an impressive record after becoming oldest person to win a Daytime Emmy.

On Friday (17 October), eight months before his 100th birthday, the 99-year old won the award for Netflix series Secret Lives of Orangutans.

Attenborough surpassed Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke, who, at 98, set the record last year after winning the guest performer award for his role in Days of Our Lives.

Secret Lives of Orangutans, which one three awards in total, won Best Outstanding Daytime Personality for Attenborough, with the star beating Marvel star Anthony Mackie and Martha Stewart to the trophy.

Mackie was nominated for his nature series Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, while Stewart was recognised for Martha Gardens, in which she shares gardening tips and lessons from her farm.

Attenborough also won over Brad Bestelink (Living with Leopards) as well as Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North and Kirin Stone for The Fixers.

Earlier this year, Attenborough reflected on approaching “the end of his life” while sharing what he believes will save the planet from destruction.

The veteran naturalist addressed his mortality in documentaryOcean: With David Attenborough, which was released on his 99th birthday in May.

In the film, the former BBC Two controller expressed his sadness with the current state of the world’s ecosystems, but said that he has worked out what Earth’s “most important place” is “after living for nearly a hundred years on this planet”.

He said that the key to saving the planet “is not on land, but at sea”, stating: “When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity.

“Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.”

Attenborough added that the planet “is in such poor health” that he “would find it hard not to lose hope” were it not for the ocean, which he called “the most remarkable discovery of all”.

He concluded: “If we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I’m sure nothing is more important.”

Attenborough’s screen career spans seven decades. He first started working at the BBC in the 1950s, hosting wildlife show Zoo Quest, but released his first nature series, Life on Earth, in 1979.

In the last 25 years, Attenborough has released Planet Earth, The Blue Planet and Dynasties, which focused on vulnerable and endangered animal species fighting for survival.