Edward Michael Grylls, better known as Bear Grylls, is a British former SAS serviceman, survival instructor and honorary lieutenant-colonel and outside his military career, an adventurer, writer, television presenter and businessman. He is widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild, originally titled Born Survivor: Bear Grylls for the United Kingdom release. Grylls is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed the youngest ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at age 35, a post he has held for a second term since 2015.
Birth Name
Edward Michael Grylls
Nickname
Bear
Profession
Author, Motivational Speaker, Television Presenter, Chief Scout, Adventurer
Nationality
British
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Bear Grylls was born on June 07, 1974, in Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Age
He is currently 44 years old.
Sun Sign
Gemini
Ethnicity
White
He has English, Irish, Cornish, 1/32 Jewish, as well as Scottish and Welsh ancestry.
Religion
Anglicanism
Education
Bear studied at London’s private school Eaton House and went on to attend the independent preparatory boarding school Ludgrove School. Furthermore, he attended Eton College where he actually started the college’s first mountaineering club. While at the University of West of England, he learned Spanish and German. In 2002, he graduated from Birkbeck, University of London with a 2:2 bachelor’s degree and acquired part-time in Hispanic studies.
Family
- Father – Sir Michael Grylls (British Conservative Politician) (Died in 2001)
- Mother – Lady Sarah Grylls (née Ford)
- Siblings – Lara Fawcett (Older Sister)
- Others – William Edward Harvey Grylls (Paternal Grandfather), Rachel Elizabeth Knapp (Paternal Grandmother), Neville Montague Ford (Maternal Grandfather), Patricia Smiles (Maternal Grandmother)
Manager
Bear is represented by The Scout Association in London.
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Bear Grylls has dated –
- Shara Cannings Knight (2000-Present) – Bear met Shara Cannings Knight for the first time on a beach in Scotland, a few months before he climbed Mount Everest in 1998. It was New Year’s Eve and oddly enough, Bear was n*ked as his clothes were swept away by a wave. Their courtship didn’t extend for long as they tied the knot in 2000. They attended relationship counseling immediately after getting married not owing to existing problems but to cement their bond and ensure longevity in their marriage. Together, they are parents to 3 boys – Marmaduke, Jesse and Huckleberry.
Physical Statistics
Height
- Feet – 5 feet 11½ inches
- Centimeters – 182 cm
- Meters – 1.82 m
Weight
- Kilograms – 78 kg
- Pounds – 172 lbs
Body Measurements
Unknown
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Green
Hair Color
Blonde (Natural)
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Best Known For
- Being the host of many wilderness survival television series like Escape from Hell, Mission Survive, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, The Island, Survivor Games, Get Out Alive and Bear’s Wild Weekend among others.
- His path-breaking adventure series Man vs. Wild from 2006 to 2011 where every week he was seen handling extreme geographical environments and showcasing, at times, bizarre but life-saving survival skills.
- Being the youngest ‘Boy Scout’ at the age of 35 in the history of The Scout Association.
Television Debut
He made his first TV show appearance in 2002 in the comedy game show Through the Keyhole as himself.
Brand Endorsements
Bear has done endorsement work for the following brands – Sure Deodorant, Degree Deodorant, Airbnb, Colgate-Palmolive’s Irish Spring Bodywash (Print ads) (2017), Harrods, Trail Mix Crunch Cereal, Alpha Course.
Distinctive Features
- Aquiline nose.
- Mole on his right cheek.
- Double chin.
Bear Grylls Favorites
- Favorite Film – Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
- Favorite Mountain In Britain – Ben Loyal in Scottish Highlands
- Favorite Books – The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart, A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz, Under The Wire: Beseiged and Critically Wounded, My Escape From Syria by Paul Conroy, As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me by Josef M Bauer, Skeletons Of The Zahara by Dean King, Questions Of Life by Nicky Gumbel, Amazing Grace: The Unbroken Spirit Of A Japanese Prisoner Of War by Grace Brown, The Gates of Hell by Professor Andrew Lambert, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Zero Six Bravo by Damien Lewis
- Favorite TV Show As A Kid – MacGyver (1985), The A-Team (1983)
Bear Grylls Net worth
Bear Grylls net worth is estimated at around $25 million dollars. It is estimated that he earns $35,000 per episode. He is currently living a lavish lifestyle in his Island mansion.
Social Media Profiles
- Facebook – Bear Grylls
- Instagram – beargrylls
- Twitter – Bear Grylls
Some Lesser Known Facts About Bear Grylls
- He was given the nickname ‘Bear’ by his sister Lara when he was a week old.
- He is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
- Grylls made a world record to his name when he hosted the highest open-air dinner party at 25,000 feet in the sky at a table suspended below a hot air balloon in June 2005. He along with balloonist and mountaineer David Hempleman-Adams and Lieutenant Commander Alan Veal were dressed in full mess dress and oxygen masks. This event was in aid of The Prince’s Trust and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
- He was given the honorary rank of lieutenant commander in the Royal Marine Reservein 2004. He also became the recipient of the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines Reserve in 2013.
- He started serving in the British 21 SAS in 1994 as a trooper. He was well-versed in unarmed combat, desert and winter warfare, survival, parachuting, climbing, and explosives. After a parachuting accident in Kenya, where his parachute failed to open, he left the Special Air Service in 1997.
- He successfully climbed the summit of Mount Everest on May 16, 1998. He achieved this feat 18 months after his parachuting accident where he broke 3 vertebrae. As a 23-year-old, he was among the youngest people to have managed it.
- He also climbed the Himalayan mountain Ama Dablam in September 1997 and became the youngest Briton to surmount it at the age of 23. The mountain was once described by Sir Edmund Hillary as “unclimbable”.
- He raised money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by leading his team to circumnavigate the British Isles on jet skis in 2000. The expedition was completed in about 30 days.
- He embarked on a Parajet paramotor in the Himalayas near Mount Everest in 2007 and began from 4,400 meters. He set the record by reaching 9,000 meters while battling very low oxygen levels and beating the previous record holder by almost 3,000 meters. He initially planned to cross over Everest but was held back due to the risk of violating the Chinese airspace.
- Bear teamed up with double amputee Al Hodgson and Scotsman Freddy MacDonald to set a Guinness world record for the longest continuous indoor freefall in 2008. The trio broke the record using a vertical wind tunnel in Milton Keynes by surpassing the previous record holders (a US team) by a few seconds.
- He guided a team of 5 members to take an ice-breaking rigid-inflatable boat through the ice-strewn Northwest Passage spanning 2,500 miles. His expedition raised awareness about the effects of global warming and raised money for the children’s charity Global Angels.
- Grylls has written several books throughout his career from his debut Facing Up (UK) / The Kid Who Climbed Everest (US). It was followed by Facing the Frozen Ocean and Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls Outdoor Adventures.
- He is also the author of the children’s adventure survival book series called Mission Survival. The books in this series include Mission Survival: Way of the Wolf, Mission Survival: Sands of the Scorpion, Mission Survival: Tracks of the Tiger, and Mission Survival: Claws of the Crocodile.
- He has released 3 thriller novels with the protagonist character of Will Jaeger; Ghost Flight (2015), Burning Angels (2016), and The Hunt (The Devil’s Sanctuary in US) (2018).
- His autobiography Mud, Sweat and Tears: The Autobiography was released in 2012.
- In August 2015, he came under the fire for leaving his young son Jesse on Saint Tudwal’s Island alongside the North Wales coast. He was rescued safely from the approaching tide by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution as a part of their weekly practice missions. But the crew did not appreciate having a young child involved in the practice rescue mission.
- In 2012, he launched the Bear Grylls Survival Academy in the UK, USA (2013), and China (2016). The academy includes several courses that teach essential survival skills to children, parents, and adults. In addition, they also have team building and leadership courses for corporates and events.
- A video game titled Man vs. Wild, based on his famous show was released in 2011.
- In addition to his many professional commitments, he is also a motivational speaker who has given speeches to corporations, schools, churches, and other organizations.
- In July 2009, he became the youngest Chief Scout, at the age of 35, succeeding Peter Duncan’s 5-year term. He is the 10th person to hold the position and remained in this role till 2018.
- His show Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014) featured many celebrities who participated in a 2-day trip in the wilderness. Some of the famous names include ex-President Barack Obama, Kate Winslet, Michael B. Jordan, and Ben Stiller among others.
- His charity work is equally diverse, having raised money for various organizations like The Prince’s Trust, of which he is an ambassador, Global Angels, SSAFA Forces Help, Hope and Homes for Children, and Care for Children.
- Visit his official website @beargrylls.com.
