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Home , David Attenborough, Steve Irwin, The Trials of Life

Famous Scientists

This week, your first task is to write a short biography of a famous scientist linked to the natural world of animals and plants. They might be famous for: - studying a particular type of plant or animal - saving - conserving areas of - explaining the link with animals from the past - understanding and explaining how animals and plants have become extinct - finding healing properties in plants (plant medicine)

Examples of scientists to research: - () - Charles Darwin (evolution) - Cindy Looy ( and environmental change) - Jaques Cousteau (marine biologist) - Carl Linnaeus (classification of living things) - Jane Goodall () - (naturalist) - Steve Backshall (naturalist) - (naturalist)

I have provided a simple biography of David Attenborough on the next page as an example. If you are struggling, you can use this to rewrite your own version of Sir David Attenborough.

Biography of Sir David Attenborough Sir David Attenborough is Britain's best- known natural history film-maker. His career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly five decades and there are very few places on the globe that he has not visited.

He was born in , West London, but grew up in College House on the campus of the University College, , where his father, Frederick, was principal. He is the middle of three sons (his elder brother, Richard, became an actor and his younger brother, John, an executive at Italian car manufacturer ). During World War II his parents also adopted two Jewish girls from .

David spent his childhood collecting fossils, stones and other natural specimens. One of his adoptive sisters gave him a piece of filled with prehistoric creatures.

David was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and then won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge in 1945, where he studied geology and and obtained a degree in natural sciences. In 1947, he was called up for national service in the and spent two years stationed in North Wales and the Firth of Forth.

In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Oriel; the marriage lasted until her death in 1997. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan.

Sir David's first job - after Cambridge University and two years in the Royal Navy - was at the London publishing house Hodder & Stoughton. Then in 1952 he joined the BBC as a trainee producer and it was while working on the series (1954-64) that he had his first opportunity to undertake expeditions to remote parts of the globe to capture intimate footage of rare wildlife in its natural habitat.

He was Controller of BBC2 (1965-68), during which time he introduced colour television to Britain, then Director of Programmes for the BBC (1969-1972). However in 1973 he abandoned administration altogether to return to documentary-making and writing.

Over the last 25 years he has established himself as the world's leading natural history programme maker with several landmark BBC series, including Life on (1979), (1984), (1990), The Private Life of Plants (1995), Life of (1998), Life of (2002) and (2005).