Michael Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as Great British Railway Journeys and Great Continental Railway Journeys. A former member of the Conservative Party, from 1984 to 1997, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield Southgate and Kensington and from 1999 to 2005, Chelsea. At the 2005, he retired from the House of Commons and from active politics general election. Since leaving politics, Portillo has pursued his media interests by presenting and participating in a wide range of television and radio programmes. In 2022, Michael began to present a political show Portillo for the British news channel GB News.
Birth Name
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo
Nickname
Michael
Profession
Broadcaster, Former Politician
Political party
Formerly Conservative
Nationality
British -Spanish
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Michael Portillo was born on the 26th of May 1953, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England.
Age
He’s currently 70 years old.
Sun Sign
Gemini
Ethnicity
Caucasian
He has Spanish from his father side Scottish From his mother side.
Religion
Catholic
Education
Portillo obtained a first class degree in history from the University of Cambridge, having been a student at Peterhouse.
Family Details
- Father – Luis Gabriel Portillo
- Mother – Cora Waldergrave
- Siblings – Unknown
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Michael Portillo has dated –
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 11 inches
- In centimeters – 181 cm
- In meters – 1.81 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 70 kg
- In Pounds – 154 lbs
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Brown
Hair Color
Salt and Paper
Shoe Size
He wears a size 11.5 (US) shoe.
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Michael became known as a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, journalist, broadcaster, and former member of the British Parliament. After making his inaugural appearance in the elections, in 1984, he was elected to the House of Commons. His most renowned work is the BBC documentary series, Great Railway Journeys, in which he documented his experiences traversing countries by train. Great Indian Railway Journeys, Great American Railroad Journeys and Great British Railway Journeys are a few of his documentaries. He has consistently collaborated with the BBC on a number of their programs, holding the positions of writer and presenter.
Television Debut
In 1998, Portillo make his first foray into broadcasting on Channel 4 with Portillo’s Progress—three 60-minute-long programmes looking into the changed social and political scene in Britain.
Broadcasting Career
In 1990, with the program Portillo’s Progress, Michael Portillo debuted on television. The program provided an insight into the dynamic political landscapes that transpired in Britain. He developed an immediate fixation on lighting and cameras. After this, he concentrated on his time spent on television and radio. In 2002, Numerous political documentaries featured him, including Great Britons. The ‘BBC’ program profiled the most illustrious British figures in history. Michael made the decision to address Queen Elizabeth I.
In 2002, Michael began conducting the ‘BBC Four program Dinner with Portillo. During his participation in the 2008 production of the documentary How to Kill a Human Being, he provided insights into the most effective method of carrying out the death penalty. He appeared in another BBC documentary, Headroom in the same year. This one-of-a-kind endeavor prompted celebrities to discuss their personal battles with mental health issues.
Additionally, The Enemy Files and Portillo’s Hidden History of Britain are among the documentaries he has hosted. An accomplished writer, Michael has made contributions to The Sunday Times. He has contributed to them with a column for quite some time. Additionally, he is a recurring radio personality. For the year 2008, Michael presided over the Man Booker Prize committee. In addition, he is employed by the DEBRA fundraising organization.
Michael Portillo Net worth
Michael Portillo has an estimated net worth of $9 million dollars as of 2024.
Social Media Profiles
- Twitter – Michael Portillo
Some Lesser Known Facts About Michael Portillo
- Portillo was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, to an exiled Spanish republican father, and a Scottish mother.
- Michael was registered as a Spanish citizen at the age of four, and, in accordance with Spanish naming customs, which require a person to have two surnames, his Spanish passport names him as Miguel Portillo Blyth.
- In 1975, Portillo graduated with a first-class degree in history, and, after a brief stint with Ocean Transport and Trading Ltd., a shipping and in 1976, transport company, he joined the Conservative Research Department.
- In 1979, Following the Conservative victory he became a government adviser to David Howell at the Department of Energy.
- In September 2002, Portillo became a non-executive director of the multinational defence contractor BAE Systems.
- In March 2006, he stepped down from that position owing to potential conflicts of interest.
- Until May 2006, Portillo has written a regular column for The Sunday Times, contributes to other journals (he was a theatre critic for the New Statesman , and is a regular radio broadcaster on UK radio.
- Michael has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London. On 29 September 2019, He was given the honour of leading the annual Sheep Drive over London Bridge.
- Portillo has been a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). He is President of DEBRA, a British charity working on behalf of people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a genetic skin blistering condition.
