Books and children
The well-stocked bookshelf in the background of this photograph hints at David Attenborough’s lifelong love of learning. He grew up on the campus of University College, Leicester, where his father served as principal, spending his childhood exploring the grounds in search of fossils, eggshells and newts. He sold in the Department of Zoology of the University. He later studied geology and zoology at Clare College, CambridgeGraduated in 1947. Here, Attenborough is pictured at his home in Richmond, London with his wife Jane, whom he married in 1950, and their two children, Robert and Susan, in December 1955.
Bringing the zoo home
In this photograph taken in December 1957, David Attenborough and his family admire Georgie, a white cockatoo he brought home. Zoo Quest Expedition to New Guinea. ‘After each Zoo Quest Trip, our menagerie expanded a bit in Richmond. From tanks and vivaria spread dining room In the hall,’ Attenborough wrote Life on Air. ‘After a few years, we decided to dedicate an entire room on the ground floor to the animals.’
Brotherly love
Sir David Attenborough and his brother, actor Richard Attenborough, pose for an artist’s sketch at Richard’s Richmond home in this June 1988 photograph. Although both brothers had careers on screen, David Attenborough often distinguished between their worlds. ‘We were very good friends, we lived close to each other, we shared each other’s careers, but my career is the opposite of Hollywood.’ said In 2013.
