A beloved actor has already broken a world record with the 2026 Emmy Award Nominations. Popularly recognized by his voice, he is also a renowned naturalist and filmmaker.
What world record did the 2026 Emmy Award nominations break?
The Emmy Awards organizers recently announced their nominations, and Sir David Attenborough has already broken a world record. He turned 100 in May, and now he is the oldest nominee in Primetime Emmy history (via Deadline).
Moreover, he has scored two nominations in the same category for the Netflix documentary film A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough and the National Geographic film Ocean with David Attenborough. Previously, he was nominated for Outstanding Narrator for the BBC documentary series Asia. He has won this category three times, most recently in 2020.
He has also won four BAFTA awards for Blue Planet II, Planet Earth II, David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive, and Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough. In 2025, Attenborough won the Daytime Emmy Award for Secret Lives of Orangutans in the Daytime Personality – Non-Daily category.
This record was previously held by the late Norman Lear, who passed away at 99. He was nominated in the 2022 Outstanding Variety Series (Live) category for being the executive producer of Live in Front of a Studio Audience. The ceremony was held when he turned 100.
In addition to Attenborough, Mel Brooks also turned 100 on June 28. His documentary, Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man, has been nominated for the Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary or Nonfiction Program.
The renowned narrator has produced many series and documentaries, including Mammals, The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet, A Blank on the Map, and The Miracle of Bali, Zoo Quest, and has worked as an executive producer for Nova and Attenborough’s Passion Projects.
He also has writing credits for Our Planet, Natural World, Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough, Africa, Frozen Planet, Penguins, Mammals, and The Earthshot Prize. His acting credits include Secret Garden, where he appears in four episodes.
