Emmy Centenarian Club: David Attenborough Breaks Record For Oldest Nominee, Mel Brooks Doc Earns Recognition
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- David Attenborough broke the record for oldest Primetime Emmy nominee with two Outstanding Narrator nominations for Netflix's "A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough" and National Geographic's "Ocean with David Attenborough."
- Attenborough, who turned 100 on May 8, 2026, has won Outstanding Narrator three times previously, most recently in 2020, and was nominated in 2024 for BBC's documentary series "Asia."
- Attenborough eclipsed the previous record held by the late Norman Lear, who was 99 years and 11 months old in 2022 when nominated for executive producing "Live in Front of a Studio Audience."
- Mel Brooks, who turned 100 on June 28, was the subject of HBO's two-part documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!" directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, which earned nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.
- Brooks, an EGOT winner with four career Emmys, was last nominated at age 97 for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance on Disney+'s "History of the World: Part II" and is not personally nominated for the new documentary since he is not part of the producing team.
- NBC also joins the centenarian club in 2026, marking 100 years since launching on November 15, 1926 with a radio broadcast, and will air the Primetime Emmy telecast on September 14 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
- Creative Arts Emmys, where the Outstanding Narrator and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special categories will be decided, are scheduled for September 5 and 6 at the Peacock Theater.
Why it matters: Attenborough's record-setting nominations at 100 underscore his enduring cultural pull as a narrator, with two major streaming platforms (Netflix, National Geographic) competing for his voice. The centenarian sweep — Attenborough, Brooks, and NBC all turning 100 in 2026 — gives the Emmys a built-in narrative hook ahead of the September ceremonies.
