Legendary British broadcaster, writer, and naturalist Sir David Attenborough has shattered the record for the oldest performer to win a Daytime Emmy Award. At the remarkable age of 99, Attenborough clinched the 2024 Daytime Emmy for outstanding daytime personality – Non-Daily – for his work on Netflix’s “Secret Lives of Orangutans.” This achievement makes him just a hair older than Dick Van Dyke, who previously held the record, having won at 98 last year for his guest appearance on Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives.” Sir David Attenborough is set to celebrate his 100th birthday next May.

Attenborough's historic win was a highlight for Netflix’s “Secret Lives of Orangutans,” which also secured an award for its directing team for a single camera daytime non-fiction program. In the category for outstanding daytime personality, Attenborough triumphed over a competitive field of nominees, including Brad Bestelink for “Living with Leopards” (Netflix), Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North & Kirin Stone for “The Fixers” (BYUtv), Anthony Mackie for “Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast” (National Geographic), and Martha Stewart for “Martha Gardens” (Roku).

Sir David Attenborough is globally recognized as one of the most distinguished natural sciences broadcasters, with a career spanning decades that began with his iconic 1954 series “Zoo Quest.” His narrating prowess has graced numerous acclaimed nature documentaries, including the groundbreaking “Planet Earth” and its subsequent installments, “Blue Planet” and its sequels, “The Green Planet,” “Wild Isles,” “Dinosaurs: The Final Day With David Attenborough,” “Life In Colour,” and “Frozen Planet,” among many others.

“Secret Lives of Orangutans,” the program that earned Attenborough his record-breaking Emmy, offers a profound look into the lives of these incredible great apes. The logline for the film describes it thus: “Orangutans are not just one of our closest relatives, they’re perhaps more relatable to us than any other great ape. Narrated by David Attenborough, this film follows a remarkable group of orangutans in the pristine jungles of Sumatra. At the centre of this story is 8 year old Eden, who’s about to embark on the most challenging moment of her life.”

The 52nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, where Attenborough made history, took place on Friday, October 17, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, celebrating excellence in daytime television.